Amid questions over the integrity of Jake Paul’s defeat of Mike Tyson this month, Paul’s own Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) company has flatly denied that the fight was in any way rigged.
MVP, which was co-founded by Paul and his business partner Nakisa Bidarian, published a statement on social media on Monday taking aim at what it called “incorrect and baseless claims.”
Noting that rigging a professional boxing match is a U.S. federal crime, the statement clarified that Paul vs. Tyson was a professional match sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations (TDLR).
“Both fighters in good faith performed to the best of their abilities with the goal of winning the fight,” the statement read. “There were absolutely no restrictions – contractual or otherwise – around either fighter. Each boxer was able to use his full arsenal to win the fight. Any agreement to the contrary would violate TDLR boxing rules.
“Trash talk and speculation are common in sports, and athletes and promoters need to tolerate nonsensical commentary, jokes and opinions. But suggesting anything other than full effort from these fighters is not only naïve but an insult to the work they put into their craft and to the sport itself. It is further illogical and inane that MVP, in the debut of a hopeful long-term partnership with the world’s biggest streamer — an organization that made its first-ever foray into live professional sports with Paul vs. Tyson — would even so much as consider such a perverse violation of the rules of competition.”
The fight at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, aired live on Netflix. The streaming service has claimed a peak average minute audience of 108 million globally, and a peak concurrent stream count of 65 million.
Bidarian calls claim ‘back-handed compliment’ to his business partner
“This is not the first time Jake Paul has faced unfounded skepticism or outright disbelief as a professional athlete, and frankly, the claim that his bout must have been rigged is just the latest backhanded compliment to come his way,” said Bidarian in his own comment in the MVP statement. “From day one in this sport, people have doubted his abilities — unable to reconcile how someone with his background has accomplished so much in such a short time. Jake has not only proven himself repeatedly, but he has continuously set historic records that speak for themselves.
“This event, which broke attendance and viewership milestones for a professional sporting event, is yet another example of his ability to deliver on the biggest stage. As long as Jake continues to exceed expectations, there will always be those who try to discredit his achievements. We embrace the doubt — it only fuels Jake to work harder and achieve greater success.”
Paul has admitted not pursuing knockout punch
The public statement comes a week after Paul, who is also the co-founder of daily fantasy sports operator and online sportsbook Betr, stated that he took his foot off the gas as the fight wore on and did not pursue a knockout of 58-year-old Tyson.
“I wanted to give the fans a show, but I didn’t want to hurt someone that didn’t need to be hurt,” Paul said in a press conference after the event, which went the full distance of eight rounds, although the rounds were reduced from three minutes each to two.
Betr Picks ran a promotion around the fight where players who correctly predicted the most outcomes would win a prize. There were also contests offered around the fight.
SBC Americas reached out to Betr for comment on this story but had not heard back at the time of writing.
Ultimately, the fight reportedly set betting records at numerous sportsbooks. Per ESPN’s David Purdum, spokespersons for both BetMGM and ESPN Bet said the fight was the most-bet-on combat sports event in their company’s history. Caesars Sportsbook VP of Trading Craig Mucklow told Purdum that the amount wagered was comparable to an NFL Monday night game.
