Jake Paul knows not everyone is on board with how he’s gone about his boxing career.
His most recent opponent was 58-year-old Mike Tyson, and Paul was heavily criticized.
Tyson is 31 years older than Paul, and Tyson had not had a professional fight since 2005.
Jake Paul speaks onstage during a press conference at Texas Live! May 16, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images for Netflix)
Paul decided to play along with the hate he thrives on.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer shared a post about a 392-year-old shark found in the Arctic Ocean.
“Next opponent found. Let’s run it,” Paul cracked on X.
Paul also fought UFC fighter Anderson Silva two years ago. Paul was 25, and Silva was 47 at the time.
Despite the speculation, Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions squashed any rumors that the Tyson fight was compromised in any way.
Jake Paul speaks during the Fanatics Fest press conference at Javits Center Aug. 18, 2024, in New York City. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
PAUL-TYSON RING GIRL SHARES HOW FANS THOUGHT SHE WAS PART OF ‘STAGED’ FIGHT AFTER MIKE TYSON SLAP
“In terms of this fight specifically, I will say the following: It was sanctioned by the athletic commission. Our partner was Netflix, who is the biggest media company in America and is a public entity. There was professional sports betting on the event,” co-founder Nakisa Bidarian said.
“So, if you were to rig such competition, it is a federal crime. And myself, Jake Paul, Mike Tyson, executives from Netflix would all be going to jail. They would be risking their entire company, and we would be risking our entire lives to do that. It is preposterous that people even suggest that this was in any way anything other than a professional fight. … That was not the case in any Jake fight, let alone this one.
“This was 100% real from beginning to end,” he added. “It was so real that the guy had an ulcer, and we took a five-month break to give him time to heal the ulcer to be able to perform at his best level. If it was staged, why did we even postpone it? We could have just moved forward with the date: ‘Oh, you have an ulcer, you’re not going to hit each other. It’s going to be fine.’ What are people talking about?”
Jake Paul, left, was announced as the winner against Mike Tyson Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (Al Bello/Getty Images for Netflix 2024)
Paul is 11-1 in his career, including six knockouts.
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