Countless eyes were on the fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, and conspiracies and theories have continued to spiral even days after the match’s conclusion.
It was a unanimous decision that crowned former YouTuber Jake Paul as the winner against the legendary ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson, but many remain unconvinced that this was as fair of a fight as it may have seemed – discounting the 31-year age gap, of course.
There was a ‘leaked script’ that dropped on X a day before the event, which many claim is eerily close to the actual outcome of the fight, and bizarre rule changes alluded to a fight that was perhaps softer than many wanted or expected.
The fight, streamed to over 60 million households on Netflix, was declared to be a bore by the masses on social media, and some have even spotted a ‘signal’ given by Paul that many think confirm the fight was rigged.
Posted on X by @tractor_owner, a video shows Paul dangling and waggling his tongue at Tyson after being on the receiving end of a punch to the chin.
The post itself infers this to be a signal from Paul to Tyson that the latter needs to ‘take it easy’ and soften his punches, which fuels the flame of those willing to believe this fight was rigged in favor of the former YouTuber.
While this could just be exaggerated breathing, and wouldn’t be too out of line for someone who was just wacked in the jaw, it’s not hard to see how some could construe this as an unsaid sign for the “Baddest Man on the Planet” to slow down a bit.
Many remain convinced that, while Tyson is indeed 58-years-old and has had a number of recent health scares, he was pulling his punches, and remains more than capable of throwing a knockout punch whenever he wants.
If you’re to believe the man himself then he has no reason to throw the fight in favor of the cash prize, explaining pre-fight: “This is what I want to do, this is me. I’m seeking my glory.”
Social media is, of course, split on this theory. One user remains certain that the fight was fair, declaring that “y’all are tripping or huffing copium if y’all really think Mike was going easy on him,” with another concurring that “The guy is 58 years old… Jake Paul luckily went easy on him in the second round.”
Some aren’t as believing though, as one commenter argues that “this was the most staged fight I’ve ever seen,” alongside another assertion that “If Tyson went 100% all in, Jake would be dead.”
We’ll never know the real truth behind the situation, and theories will continue to spiral as long as people remain engaged in this fight, but it certainly makes for a more interesting chain of events than the fight itself.