During the fight between boxer Mike Tyson and YouTuber Jake Paul, a curious detail caught the attention of Internet users.
The evening of November 15 was marked by a highly anticipated event: the fight between Mike Tyson, 58, and Jake Paul, 27, at AT&T Stadium (Texas).
Broadcast live on Netflix, the meeting between the boxing legend and the YouTuber brought together 120 million viewers. As a reminder, the former world champion was beaten unanimously by the Internet star.
Photo Credit: Netflix
The least we can say is that this confrontation did not convince many people. While some believe that the match was disappointing, others are convinced that the show was actually a staged show.
Indeed, many people, including martial arts specialist Joe Rogan, have questioned the authenticity of the fight on social networks.
A fixed match?
On X, some Internet users outright claim that the boxing match was rigged. As they point out, a particular moment during the meeting caught their attention.
In this sequence, Iron Mike throws a right at the content creator, which has the effect of making him trip. After taking the blow, the 27-year-old mocked Mike Tyson by sticking his tongue out at him.
The YouTuber's grimace caused many viewers to react, who wondered about the meaning of this tongue-twisting. For this Internet user, “Jake Paul signals Mike Tyson to calm down».
“Greatest rigged fight of all time”, “So… what was that weird thing Jake Paul did with his tongue during the fight”, “I'm pretty sure the fight was fixed”, can we read among the reactions.
Another detail caught the attention of the spectators. During the match, Mike Tyson bit his gloves several times. A gesture that intrigued boxing fans. The reason? This would be his cue for Paul to calm down. For his part, Iron Mike defended himself by explaining that it was a reflex.
Sylvester Stallone gets involved
For Internet users, Mike Tyson held back his punches at certain times to favor his opponent. A point of view shared by the legend Sylvester Stallone.
The actor, known for having played the boxer Rocky Balboa, accuses Mike Tyson of having played comedy against Jake Paul, in a message posted on his Instagram account.
“Business is business. Sometimes you have to sacrifice things for the sake of your family. I've known this incredible athlete since he was 19 and what we saw was him giving one of the best, Oscar-worthy performances of all time (…) Keep hitting Mike, there won't be never a man like you, a gladiator like you and a soul like you” (Sylvester Stallone on Instagram)
Photo Credit: Netflix
Despite his defeat, Mike Tyson does not regret returning to the ring, 19 years after his last fight.
“It’s one of those situations where you lost, but you still won. I am grateful for this evening. No regrets about getting into the ring one last time. I almost died in June, had 8 blood transfusions and lost half my blood and 11kg in hospital. So, I had to fight to be ready to fight, so I won. Having my children who see me neck and neck and finishing 8 rounds against a fighter half my age (…) Thank you,” confided the boxer after his defeat.
Jake Paul responds to the controversy
The day after his victory, Jake Paul made surprising revelations about the fight during a press conference. The young boxer admitted to deliberately holding back his punches so as not to hurt Tyson.
“I’m sorry I didn’t knock him out, guys. I'm really sorry (…) I tried to make the best fight possible, but when someone is just surviving in the ring, it's hard to make it exciting. I didn’t want to hurt someone who didn’t need to be hurt,” the influencer said.
That's not all! When a journalist asked him if he had felt the legendary power of the boxer, the Youtuber replied «Non».
And you, what do you think?
