Tyson-Paul promoter responds to rigging rumors

Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions said in a statement Monday that recent speculation that Paul's Nov. 15 record-breaking match against Mike Tyson was rigged or scripted is "incorrect and baseless."

The company, which partnered with Netflix for what was the most-streamed global sporting event in history, insisted they complied with all appropriate regulations for a match that was 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," MVP's statement said. "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."

Paul (11-1, 7 KOs) earned a unanimous decision against former heavyweight champion Tyson (50-7, 44 KOs). The judges scored it 80-72, 79-73, 79-73, with the former YouTube star winning the striking battle 78-18 across eight two-minute rounds.

The event attracted a record-breaking gate at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Nov. 15 with 72,300 fans in attendance leading to $18,117,072 in total revenue, a record for boxing and mixed martial events held outside of Las Vegas. Netflix saw the fight peak at a record 65 million concurrent streams.

However, reaction to the fight came with questions about its authenticity from big names in the sport, including Hall of Famer Oscar de la Hoya, who posted on social media, "Everybody is talking about how staged this fight was. I do believe it was scripted and I believe that Tyson was certainly held back.

"Look, I'm a fighter and I can see it. It goes on their record and it was sanctioned. Jake Paul