Eddie Hearn has dismissed claims from boxing fans who suggest Mike Tyson’s Netflix fight against Jake Paul was scripted.
Paul beat 58-year-old Tyson via unanimous decision in their eight-round fight in Texas last Friday, with all three judges scoring the contest 80-72, 79-73 and 79-73 in favour of the YouTuber turned boxer.
Tyson, a two-time world heavyweight champion, landed just 18 of his punches during the fight, while Paul admitted after his win that he took it easy on his opponent as the contest unfolded.
Boxing fans have since accused Tyson and Paul of fixing their fight and have shared videos on social media highlighting moments where Tyson appeared to pull back his punches.
But Hearn, who promoted Katie Taylor ahead of her rematch victory against Amanda Serrano earlier on Friday evening, has labelled the accusations towards Tyson and Paul as ‘ridiculous’.
‘What happened in the fight was exactly what I was expecting to happen,’ Hearn told iFL TV.
‘Mike was dangerous for the first 30 seconds then he got knackered, and he’s old and his timing’s gone and he doesn’t have power like he used to.
‘When people, like casual fans, say, ‘oh, do you think it was scripted?’. I don’t at all, I think it’s ridiculous.
‘And I don’t think you could ask Mike Tyson… but Mike tried, you’ve got to give Mike credit.
‘When the fight was over I did kind of think to myself [it was] pretty cool for Tyson to have done that, for his kids to see him do that, he’s gone through a hard training camp, he’s gone eight rounds, fair play to him.
‘I didn’t enjoy it watching it, if I’m honest. I quite enjoyed the first 30 seconds when he was having a right go, but it was a spectacle, it was never going to be fight of the century.
‘I said before I wasn’t a fan of it, but look what it created, so you’ve got to kind of acknowledge the commercial reality.
‘I might not be the best person to ask because I’m a diehard boxing fan, I love it with all my heart and it wasn’t for me. But what it created was an incredible moment in sport and mainly entertainment.
‘I’m glad everyone’s okay, I think everybody needs a challenge in their life and maybe that was a great challenge for Mike Tyson.’
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