*Dallas Cowboys star Michael Irvin has raised doubts about the fairness of the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight, suggesting it might have been “rigged.”
According to Irvin, Tyson avoided using his trademark uppercut during the match. Paul, 27, secured a unanimous decision victory over the 58-year-old boxing legend, who landed just 18 punches over eight rounds. many Tyson fans were left disappointed with his performance.
Paul later admitted after his win that he held back against Tyson, saying he “didn’t want to hurt someone that didn’t need to be hurt”.
However, Irvin speculated that Tyson might have been holding back, potentially due to a clause in the fight agreement.
“I was looking for that patent ‘one in the body, one on the uppercut,” he said on The Herd podcast with Colin Cowherd, The Mirror reports.
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“When he hits that it’s boom boom, boom. I want to see that. But we didn’t get that, not a one. And I saw someone else say that it was in the contract – ‘no uppercuts’. They had it in the contract. Come on guys, why wouldn’t Mike Tyson throw an uppercut?” Irvin added.
Podcast host Cowherd said: “It was the killer shot and he didn’t throw one. Jake Paul by about the fifth round had a chance [to knock Tyson out] and I wonder if, after what you said, did Jake Paul say, ‘Listen, I signed a contract. He can’t throw an uppercut, so I’m not gonna humiliate him’.”
Meanwhile, according to ESPN, Netflix reported that 60 million households watched the event live, with peak viewership hitting 65 million concurrent streams. The match, held at AT&T Stadium in Texas, saw 27-year-old Paul defeat 58-year-old Tyson by unanimous decision.
The co-main event also garnered significant interest, with 50 million households tuning in to see Katie Taylor retain her women’s lightweight championship against Amanda Serrano. Netflix said additional viewership data is expected soon, as the streamer serves 280 million subscribers worldwide.
“The boxing mega-event dominated social media, shattered records, and even had our buffering systems on the ropes,” Netflix said Saturday.
“This is one of those situations when you lost but still won,” Tyson wrote on social media after the fight. “I’m grateful for last night. No regrets about getting in the 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 too.”
The champ added, “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.”
READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: From YouTube to the Ring: Jake Paul’s Stunning Victory Over Boxing Legend Mike Tyson | WATCH Fight Highlights!
