NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin said the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight was manipulated before their record-breaking showdown Friday night.
The fighters faced backlash after Paul, 27, beat Tyson, 58, by unanimous decision in a lackluster bout at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
During an appearance on the “It Is What It Is” podcast this week, Irvin claimed he heard people talking about a contract containing a clause that Tyson couldn’t utilize his famous uppercut — and that both fighters couldn’t go all out in the ring.
“That fight was a lie,” said Irvin, who sat in the second row behind Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and President-elect Donald Trump. “Everybody’s lying … 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.
“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.”
Mike Tyson (black gloves) fights Jake Paul (silver gloves) at AT&T Stadium on Nov. 15, 2024.USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
However, the more likely scenario remains that Tyson is way too far past his prime to execute the same type of attack that made him one of the most feared boxers who ever lived.
He frequently seemed off balance in the final rounds against a fighter more than three decades his junior.
However, Irvin also explained that as an NFL analyst, it’s his job to observe and he was “shocked” when he didn’t see Tyson attempt his lethal uppercut.
On Monday, DJ Whoo Kid claimed in a separate video that he spoke to Paul at an afterparty following the fight. The famous DJ and SiriusXM host said that the YouTuber and Tyson “legally they each cannot go at each other hard … The rules were, they gotta chill. That’s what I heard.”
Tyson landed 18 punches out of 97 and Paul connected on 78 out of 278 punches, according to the final results.
“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,” Irvin said.
Tyson reportedly earned $20 million for the fight, while Paul received $40 million.
After the bout, Paul explained that he didn’t want to hurt the former heavyweight champ further.
“I wanted to give the fans a show, but I didn’t want hurt someone who didn’t need to be hurt,” Paul said. “I didn’t wanna hurt someone that didn’t need to be hurt.”
Tyson dealt with a number of health issues leading up to the fight, including an ulcer flare-up, which forced them to postpone the event from its original July 20 date.
After the fight, Tyson revealed he almost died in June.
Michael Irvin explained he heard there was a contract clause in the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight that they couldn’t go all out in their fight on Nov. 15, 2024.X
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“This is one of those situations when you lost but still won,” he wrote on X. “I’m grateful for last night. No regrets to get in ring one last time. I almost died in June.
“Had 8 blood transfusions. Lost half my blood and 25lbs in hospital and had to fight to get healthy to fight so I won. To have my children see me stand toe to toe and finish 8 rounds with a talented fighter half my age in front of a packed Dallas Cowboy stadium is an experience that no man has the right to ask for. Thank you.”
