Boxing

Jake Paul’s business parnter responds to ‘dumb’ claims Mike Tyson clash was a ‘rigged fight’

Admin 4 hours ago

4 1 minute read

Jake Paul's manager has hit back at claims his last fight was 'rigged'.

'The Problem Child' recently returned to the ring for a controversial match against 58-year-old boxing legend Mike Tyson, who was defeated by unanimous decision on Friday evening at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

As is often the case with the YouTuber-turned-boxer, several baseless conspiracy theories about him “rigging” the fight are circulating on social media.

Now, Jake Paul's manager and business partner has addressed the rumors.

Nakisa Bidarian shuts down 'falsified' rumors

Nakisa Bidarian is Paul's advisor and co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions, which created the card that attracted more than 60 million viewers to Netflix.

Since the fight, he has addressed all the conspiracy theories about his client, but only felt compelled to address them publicly after an NFL legend weighed in.

“The only thing that bothers me is the constant narrative and people saying, 'The fight was rigged,'” Bidarian said during an interview with Ariel Helwani.

“I saw something of Michael Irvin, he was on the air and was actually sitting there with Jerry Jones. I saw something this week where he said, 'Oh yeah, I saw the contract and Mike couldn't throw an uppercut.'

“I'm afraid there's a CTE problem for Michael Irvin because how would you view the contract that Mike Tyson couldn't uppercut? It is beyond the madness and reality of life.

“This was a regulated professional bout by the Texas Athletic Commission, and we were partners with Netflix – the largest media company in the world – which is a publicly traded company.

“Anyone who suggests this was somehow a rigged fight is either stupid or attention-seeking. I get it. Posting messages that say 'Proof that manipulation has taken place' will get you good engagement. Many people comment, many people like and many people share.

“We are in an attention economy; people say a lot of bizarre things to draw attention to themselves. But it is a sad state of society that people want to spend their time there.”

What's next for Jake Paul?

Paul has received a lot of criticism for booking fights against older, undersized and inexperienced opponents, but he insists he will face a pound-for-pound superstar next time out.

Undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev and IBF heavyweight titleholder Daniel Dubois have drafted the 27-year-old. However, the man he most wants to face is Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez.

“Generally speaking, everyone's biggest criticism is, 'Fight a professional! Fight someone your age!'” Paul said on his podcast. “So when I said Canelo is the person, everyone hates that. Wouldn't the best chance to see me lose be to play Canelo?

“People won't be happy with my career until I'm bloody flat… one of the best I've ever done, a legend, pound for pound amazing… yeah, it's going to be a crazy fight. It's going to be difficult. I might get my shot and fall flat. But let's fucking find out!”