You know what the sign of a great boxing match is? Having to issue a press release weeks later to deny any allegations of cheating or fight rigging.
That’s exactly where November’s spectacle between human Cool Ranch Dorito Jake Paul and 58-year-old retiree Mike Tyson has landed. The match’s promotor, Most Valuable Promotions, was compelled to respond to allegations Paul’s latest victory was the result of skullduggery and not the fact he’d boxed a man eligible for AARP membership.
In a statement released Monday, MVP called accusations of a fix “an insult” to both Paul and Tyson and “illogical and inane” to even consider.
Most Valuable Promotions just sent out a release, denying all claims through all of last week that Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson was "rigged." #PaulTyson #boxing pic.twitter.com/yCQO0wgtjf
— Daniel Yanofsky (@DanYanofsky) November 25, 2024
MVP co-founder Nakisa Biderian also used the opportunity to pump up Paul in advance of his next fight against whichever aging combat sports veteran needs a quick cash infusion.
“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 Biderian, using many words when a few would have done nicely. “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.”
This, of course, will not stop the speculation that a match between a senior citizen and a man three decades younger may have been untoward. That benefits MVP, a company backing a fighter whose entire brand is proof bad press and shame no longer have a place in our society. Paul-Tyson wasn’t rigged, either because of professional ethics or the fact Jake Paul is simply too good at what he does (in this case, beating an old man who’d been hospitalized months earlier). Anyone suggesting otherwise is illogical.
