Mike Tyson and Jake Paul having the first live boxing match on Netflix yielded many conspiracy theories due to the former’s age and the latter’s limited experience. The fight ended up being highly underwhelming for many, and Michael Irvin recently shared his belief that most likely was not an accident.
“That fight was a lie,” he said during an appearance on Cam’ron and Ma$e’s popular sports talk show It Is What It Is. He continued, citing how both boxers didn’t seem to be putting in 100% effort and Iron Mike did not utilize a special move in his arsenal. “Everybody’s lying […] they had no intentions to really strap it on. If you look through that, I didn’t see one patented uppercut by Mike Tyson. What did Mike Tyson win on? Uppercut.”
The NFL Hall Of Famer revealed rumors he heard that could explain why the fight wasn’t as exciting as it was promoted to be. “I heard some people talking about they couldn’t put [Mike Tyson’s uppercut] in the contract,” he stated. “He couldn’t body and then uppercut. Like, how can you put that in a fight contract?”
Michael Irvin continued his assessment of the fight and rumored contrast terms by drawing a parallel to his NFL career. “That’s like making me play a game without running a slant route in the deep end or the deep out,” he said. “You do what you do best. If they take that away, you ain’t that dude anymore, and they took that away.”
DJ Whoo Kid supported Irvin’s claims when he recounted a conversation he had with Jake Paul at a fight after-party, saying, “Legally they each cannot go at each other hard.” Despite being disappointed by how the boxing match went, the former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver was happy to see Mike Tyson secure a large payday. “I’m happy he got every dime, or whatever it is,” he said. “I want him to get his money. I just wanted him to free the beast.”
Per the final tally of the fight, Tyson threw 97 punches and only landed 18. Paul threw 278 punches and landed 78. Iron Mike was paid $20 million and Paul got $40 million. One valid explanation for the underwhelming bout is the health issues Tyson dealt with in the lead-up, which made them postpone the match as it was originally booked for July. He suffered from an ulcer flare-up and revealed that he almost died in June.
“This is one of those situations when you lost but still won,” Mike Tyson wrote on X. “I’m grateful for last night. No regrets to get in ring one last time. I almost died in June. Had 8 blood transfusions. Lost half my blood and 25lbs in hospital and had to fight to get healthy to fight so I won. To have my children see me stand toe to toe and finish 8 rounds with a talented fighter half my age in front of a packed Dallas Cowboy stadium is an experience that no man has the right to ask for. Thank you.”
“I wanted to give the fans a show, but I didn’t want hurt someone who didn’t need to be hurt,” Jake Paul said of the match. “I didn’t wanna hurt someone that didn’t need to be hurt.”
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