Boxing

Sylvester Stallone performs dramatic U-turn after being called out by Jake Paul for comments on Mike Tyson fight

Admin 3 hours ago

5 2 minutes read

Sylvester Stallone has issued a public apology after being called out by Jake Paul on social media.

The divisive YouTuber turned boxer recently picked up the biggest win of his 11-1 boxing career when he defeated former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium in Texas on November 15.

Even though 'Iron Mike' is 58 years old and thirty years older than his comeback opponent, some fans were surprised that he couldn't knock out Jake Paul with the power shots that made him famous.

Stallone was one of them, but the 'Rocky' actor went too far with his comments on the controversial fight.

Sylvester Stallone changes his stance on Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson

Stallone took to Instagram to share his thoughts on the clash that drew 60 million people to Netflix.

“Just to set my personal record straight,” he wrote, along with several of his and Mike Tyson.

“Business is business. SOMETIMES you have to do hard things and make sacrifices to help your family…. I have known this incredible athlete since he was 19 years old and what we saw was him giving one of the best Oscar winning performances of all time!!!!

“Please, Jake, be grateful, HE SAVED YOUR LIFE! Believe me… Keep hitting Mike, there will never be a MAN like you, a GLADIATOR like you, and a SOUL like you! Keep hitting champion of champions!

“I remember running into him once and thinking I was hit by a runaway BULLDOZER!!!”

Stallone's post went viral and provoked an angry response from Jake Paul, who replied: “I always looked up to you as a child, but now you're a spreader of lies against my name. Sorry to see you fall. Maybe it's because of the plastic surgery.”

Five days later, Stallone edited the post, retracted his original statement and apologized for his comments.

He wrote: 'To set my personal record… on Second, as I watched the best man win that night. My apologies. Keep thrusting.”

Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images

Jake Paul's team issues a statement regarding 'fictional claims' about the Mike Tyson fight

Jake Paul's entire combat sports career has been dogged by unsubstantiated claims of 'rigged' fights and imaginary contract clauses that detract from his achievements.

Vicious rumors about his fight with Mike Tyson continue to circulate on social media.

On Monday, Paul's company, Most Valuable Promotions, issued an official statement addressing the “fictitious claims that undermine the integrity of the Paul-Tyson fight.”

It said: “Following the widespread dissemination of false and unsubstantiated claims that undermine the integrity of the Paul vs. Undermining Tyson Event, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) wants to set the record straight regarding the contractual agreements and the nature of the fight.

“Fixing a professional boxing match is a federal crime in the United States of America. Paul vs. Tyson was a professional match sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations (TDLR). Both fighters performed in good faith to the best of their ability with the goal of winning the fight. There were absolutely no restrictions – contractual or otherwise – surrounding either fighter. Each boxer could use his full arsenal to win the fight. Any agreement to the contrary would be in violation of the TDLR boxing rules.

“Trash talk and speculation are common in sports, and athletes and promoters must tolerate nonsensical comments, jokes and opinions. But to suggest anything other than full effort from these fighters is not only naive, but an insult to the work they put into their craft and to the sport itself.

“It is further illogical and senseless that MVP, in the debut of a hopeful long-term partnership with the world's largest streamer – an organization that made its first-ever foray into live professional sports with Paul vs. Tyson – even consider such a perverse violation of competition rules.”