Spencer Oliver has broken down why it is impossible Mike Tyson decided not to KO Jake Paul.
Paul and Tyson met in a huge and sanctioned professional fight, during which the heavyweight legend looked a shadow of himself and laboured to a points defeat.
Fans claimed Tyson prevented himself from knocking out Paul[/caption]
In a bizarre moment during the fight, fans believed they had spotted a moment where Tyson ‘deliberately’ held back from unleashing his trademark power.
Fans on social media have accused ‘Iron Mike’ of not letting his right hook land on the chin and instead feinting, in response to a flinch from Paul who dropped his hand.
Paul and his team have even been forced to release a statement, to which they vehemently deny any part of the fight was ‘rigged’ or ‘scripted’.
And former boxer, now talkSPORT pundit Oliver, has broken down exactly what happened in the exchange and why there is no way it could be intentional.
He said on talkSPORT’s White & Jordan: “Listen what it is, when you get to a certain age doubt creeps in.
“Conspiracy theories that is what it is. If you’ve been out of the ring for a long time and you want to let your hands go it is hard.
“When you get into that space and are a certain age, he’s an old man.
“But then you are already committed and you pull the shot away and that’s what has happened.
“But no not for me [questions over legitimacy].”
Oliver went on to add that Tyson bowed to his rival at the end as a sign of respect, despite it being a sad ending to the former undisputed champion’s tenure in the sport.
He continued: “Listen [Tyson] was shot to bits.
“He wanted out of there, there wasn’t even ten seconds left in the tank in the final round.
“He was hoping that Jake Paul was going to do the same thing, and he respected what he had done.
“But it was a sad ending to a sad contest really.”
The fight was a sanctioned bout, and Tyson simply could not compete with Paul on the night.
His reflexes and skills had faced a huge decline, and despite an early and brief flurry, Tyson ran out of steam.
Paul is no stranger to accusations his fights are ‘fixed’ in the past, which included his rematch KO win over Tyron Woodley in December 2021.
As a result of the latest allegation, his promotional outfit Most Valuable Promotions came out and publicly condemned the stories.
“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,” MVP said in a statement on Monday.
“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).
“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.
“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.”