With the highly anticipated heavyweight clash between Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua just days away, lingering accusations that the bout could be 'scripted' or rigged have been forcefully addressed by the influencer boxer's promotional team.
Conspiracy Theories Labelled a 'Federal Crime'
In the wake of the fight announcement, Metro Sport spoke with Nakisa Bidarian, Paul's long-time business partner and the chief executive of Most Valuable Promotions (MVP). Bidarian confronted the conspiracy theories circulating on social media directly, reminding sceptics that any form of match rigging is considered a federal crime.
He explained that across Paul's 13-fight career, there has only been one 'non-traditional' arrangement, which was for the Mike Tyson fight last year. That exception, he stressed, was made entirely for the benefit of the 58-year-old boxing legend, not for Paul.
The Mike Tyson Exception Explained
"The only time we have done anything that is different to traditional men's boxing was with Mike Tyson," Bidarian stated. This involved the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations approving two-minute rounds instead of three-minute rounds, and 14oz gloves instead of the standard 10oz.
"So if that is rigging a fight, then we rigged that fight, I guess," Bidarian said pointedly. "Because it gave Mike, not Jake, the advantage to do two-minute rounds instead of three. And it gave Mike, not Jake, the advantage of having 14oz gloves, because we recognised he is 58 and didn't want him getting hit with a 10oz glove that has much more impact."
He concluded that this was a singular anomaly in Paul's fight history, enacted solely for Tyson's protection.
Eddie Hearn Mocks 'WWE-Style Script' Talk
Talk of a pre-determined outcome for the Joshua fight has also been firmly shut down by the former champion's own promoter, Eddie Hearn. When asked if there was a script, Hearn responded bluntly: "Is there a script? Yeah, there is a script: we come out and try to knock him out clean – out cold – as soon as possible."
Hearn emphasised the illegality of fixing a professional, sanctioned contest and stated they would never be involved in an exhibition. "Do you think I would sign up to something that might make AJ look bad or go [for multiple] rounds?" he said. "No, we wanna go in there, do a job for boxing, which is what we should be doing, which is ironing this guy out ASAP."
The fight, set to be streamed globally on Netflix, represents a huge step up in competition for Jake Paul, who was once widely dismissed as a mere 'influencer boxer'. His 2023 defeat to Tommy Fury seemed to cement that view. However, his persistence has now landed him a bout with Anthony Joshua, a two-time former unified world heavyweight champion, silencing many doubters but inevitably raising new questions about the spectacle's legitimacy, which both camps are now vehemently denying.
