NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin has shared his thoughts on the underwhelming fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson.
Paul, 27, and Tyson, 58, faced off in the ring on Friday night, going eight rounds before Paul was declared the winner by decision, with the bout being streamed for free on Netflix.
Certain rules had been put in place - including heavier gloves and eight two-minute rounds - to help balance out the 31-year age gap between the two fighters.
Now, Irvin has shared his thoughts, believing that the fight was a "big lie" in order for both Tyson and Paul to leave with a huge payday.
During a candid discussion on the It Is What It Is podcast, Irvin expressed his belief that the bout was orchestrated under restrictive terms that significantly dampened its intensity and authenticity.
According to Irvin, the match lacked the genuine competitive spirit fans expected, primarily because of contractual limitations specifically targeting Tyson's fighting style.
“That fight was a lie,” Irvin asserted, reflecting on his ringside experience just behind notable figures such as Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and President-elect Donald Trump. “They had no intentions to really strap it on. If you look through that, I didn’t see one patented uppercut by Mike Tyson. What did Mike Tyson win on? Uppercut.”
He continued: "Then I heard some people talking about they couldn’t put that in the contract. He couldn’t body and then uppercut. Like, how can you put that in a fight contract?
"You got all these people out here, and he couldn’t body him and do that patented uppercut. Mike Tyson is not Mike Tyson anyway, and now you’re taking away Mike Tyson’s best gift, which is that uppercut. Man, that’s a big lie to me. That’s like making me play a game without running a slant route in the deep end or the deep out. You do what you do best. If they take that away, you ain’t that dude anymore, and they took that away."
Despite Irvin's claims, many believe that the real hindrance to Tyson's performance was his age and physical condition. Tyson, long past his prime, frequently appeared off-balance and struggled to match the younger Paul's vigor in the later rounds.
Adding to the discourse, DJ Whoo Kid shared insights from a post-fight conversation with Paul, hinting at an agreement to limit the intensity of their exchanges.
“Legally they each cannot go at each other hard … The rules were, they gotta chill. That’s what I heard,” he remarked, echoing the sentiment of a controlled and restrained match.
The fight statistics underscored the bout's one-sided nature, with Paul landing 78 out of 278 punches, significantly outperforming Tyson, who managed only 18 successful hits from 97 attempts.
Reflecting on the financial aspect, Irvin commented on the fighters' earnings, which reportedly amounted to $20 million for Tyson and $40 million for Paul.
Despite the monetary success, Irvin lamented the missed opportunity to witness Tyson in his element, adding: "I’m happy he got every dime, or whatever it is. I want him to get his money. I just wanted him to free the beast."
Following the event, Tyson took to social media to reflect on his grueling journey back to the ring, which included overcoming severe health challenges.
He revealed he'd almost died in June and had suffered a number of health issues, including having an ulcer flare up, forcing them to postpone the original date of July 20 to November 15.
“This is one of those situations when you lost but still won,” Tyson shared, detailing his near-fatal health scare and subsequent recovery just to make it to the fight night.
The fight, while a spectacle, has left many questioning the authenticity and fairness of such high-profile matchups, with such an enormous age gap between the YouTuber and the former world heavyweight champion.
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