Jake Paul‘s unanimous-decision victory over Mike Tyson was fixed, according to an uncorroborated fan theory being circulated online. What’s more, these viewers claim to have pinpointed the moment that proves this.
‘Jake Paul signaling for Mike to take it easy,’ one fan wrote on X in a post that included a clip of Tyson landing a chin shot.
Paul reacted to the punch by sticking his tongue out and taunting Tyson, as if to say the punch didn’t bother him. It’s something that Paul has done in previous fights, and even outside of the ring, the former YouTube star has made a habit of sticking out his tongue.
But according to these conspiracy theorists, Tyson was ‘signaling.’
Spokespeople for Most Valuable Promotions declined to comment when contacted by DailyMail.com. A Netflix spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Jake Paul sticks out his tongue at Mike Tyson after taking a chin shot during his victory
At the end of the match, Tyson was embraced by Paul and the two shared a brief exchange
The fan theory may not be supported by evidence.
The 27-year-old Paul easily defeated the 58-year-old Tyson on Friday night on Netflix as the former heavyweight champion landed only 18 punches while lumbering around the ring in a futile attempt to chase down his younger opponent. Later Paul said he held back against Tyson because he ‘didn’t wanna hurt someone that didn’t need to be hurt.’
Many were surprised the fight was even sanctioned after it was initially delayed in June when Tyson suffered an ulcer flareup on a cross-country flight. Last week, Tyson claimed he nearly died on that plane and ultimately had eight blood transfusions as he recovered from the incident.
So it was no wonder that Paul was favorited to beat Tyson, who is decades removed from his prime. But that didn’t stop conspiracy theorists from speculating about match fixing both during and after the bout.
Jake Paul has a habit of sticking his tongue out both in and out of the ring
Viewers claim to have pinpointed the moment that proves Friday’s fight was fixed
Many fans pushed back against this theory, which is uncorroborated
As this viewer pointed out, Paul appeared to be taunting Tyson after taking the chin shot
‘This fight was fixed,’ one fan wrote on X before referring to the 58-year-old’s reported purse for the match. ‘Mike Tyson turned up for the $20 million payday and Jake Paul get a win over Mike.’
‘Will you watch this video and tell me this Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul match isn’t a fixed one?’ another fan asked.
One fan claimed ‘Jake Paul’s fights are fixed’ because ‘Tyson IS NOT attacking.’
And another described Friday’s bout as ‘the most staged fight I’ve ever seen.’
But for all of the conspiracy theories, many fans were quick to point out that Paul was likely taunting Tyson, who was barely holding on for much of the night.
‘He’s literally signaling that the weak punch did not affect him,’ one fan remarked. ‘This is commonly known as a ”taunt.”’
‘People thinking they know Tyson enough to know when he’s going soft but they don’t know him enough to know he would never accept a rigged fight,’ another added.
