As Jake Paul’s fight against Mike Tyson dragged into the early hours of Saturday morning, the internet erupted with claims that the YouTuber-turned-boxer was deliberately prolonging the bout.
Although Paul, 27, secured a unanimous decision victory in Friday night’s headline event at AT&T Stadium, many observers speculated that he could have ended the fight against the 58-year-old Tyson well before the final bell of the eighth round.
“Paul carried Tyson for the final 4 rounds and almost didn’t want to knock him out,” Boston Herald sports columnist Bill Speros wrote on X. “Tyson basically stood there and took the beating. Glad he got his $20M and his last shot,” Speros added, referencing reports such as those from CBS News, which noted Tyson’s $20 million payout compared to Paul’s $40 million.
Others echoed this sentiment.
“Jake Paul is carrying Mike Tyson through this fight,” NFL quarterback-turned-analyst Robert Griffin III wrote on X. “He saw he hurt Mike with the 3 jabs in a row in the 2nd round and pulled all the way off the gas. He could have ended it there and in every round since. Smart business move by Jake Paul. Gives all his sponsors more air time.”
Paul later admitted he eased up on Tyson as the fight progressed, recognizing the former heavyweight champion’s fatigue.
“Yeah, definitely,” Paul said. “Definitely a bit. I wanted to give the fans a show but I didn’t want to hurt someone that didn’t need to be hurt.”
For some, Paul’s decision to hold back was a condemnation of the sport’s integrity.
“Jake Paul carried Mike Tyson for 8 rounds and knew knocking out Iron Mike would be a very bad look,” one user wrote on X. “Jake Paul is not serious about being a champion. He needs to step his game up or stop with the novelty act matches. The public won’t lean into the hype anymore.”
Despite the criticism, the public did lean in—70,000 fans packed AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, while hundreds of thousands more tuned in via Netflix, enduring buffering issues along the way.
Not everyone was impressed, including basketball legend Magic Johnson, who expressed his disappointment with Tyson’s performance.
“Just sad smh. I cut it off because I couldn’t watch anymore,” Johnson wrote on X. “It’s sad to see Mike Tyson like this because I went to every Tyson fight. This fight tonight was not great for boxing.”
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy didn’t hold back either, calling the event a “con.”
“Credit to Jake Paul + Mike Tyson for pulling off one of the great cons of the century,” Portnoy said. “I shoulda put 10 million on Jake. Not cause he’s good but cause he fought a senior citizen. I would say everybody involved should be ashamed but I’d take the money too if I could.”
