Former NFL star and friend of Mike Tyson, Adam Jones, has claimed that the 58-year-old's fight with Jake Paul was 'rigged' and revealed the exact moment that proves it.
Back in November, YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul defeated former boxing champion Tyson in a heavyweight clash streamed live on Netflix making it the streamer's first live sporting event.
The fight went the distance but Paul won a unanimous decision from the judges after dominating the later rounds against a tiring Tyson.
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Despite a comfortable victory for Paul, many fans speculated online that the fight was rigged, and former Cincinnati Bengals cornerback, Jones, agrees.
"I truly think the fight was rigged because if you look at the first round, Mike hit him with a couple and it looked like he told him to slow down,' Jones told the Mirror US.
"Did I think his feet were all the way there? No, I didn't. He was a little wobbly on the feet.
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"I like Mike Tyson. I love Mike Tyson. I love to see a real fight with Mike Tyson."
Following the skepticism, Most Valuable Promotions released a statement hitting back at the claims.
The statement read: "Following the wide circulation of incorrect and baseless claims that undermine the integrity of the Paul vs. Tyson event, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) would like to set the record straight regarding the contractual agreements and the nature of the fight.
"Rigging 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).
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"Both fighters in good faith performed to the best of their abilities with the goal of winning the fight. There were absolutely no restrictions – contractual or otherwise – around either fighter.
"Each boxer was able to use his full arsenal to win the fight. Any agreement to the contrary would violate TDLR boxing rules."
The statement continued: "Trash talk and speculation are common in sports, and athletes and promoters need to tolerate nonsensical commentary, jokes and opinions. But suggesting anything other than full effort from these fighters is not only naïve but an insult to the work they put into their craft and to the sport itself.
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"It is further illogical and inane that MVP, in the debut of a hopeful long-term partnership with the world’s biggest streamer—an organisation that made its first-ever foray into live professional sports with Paul vs. Tyson—would even so much as consider such a perverse violation of the rules of competition."
Tom Jenkins