Shaquille O’Neal isn’t happy with the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson product after paying a hefty price for ringside seats for one of the most hyped fights of the year.
Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson went the full distance, despite many pre-fight concerns about the 58-year-old Tyson getting viciously knocked out by Paul. Despite the lengthy affair, the bout itself didn’t live up to the entertainment expectations of many worldwide, including one of the world’s all-time great basketball players.
Paul defeated the heavyweight boxing legend Tyson by unanimous decision to extend his ongoing win streak inside the ring. Meanwhile, Tyson remains winless in professional boxing since a TKO win against Clifford Etienne in 2003.
The vigorous pre-fight debate surrounding the ethics of Paul vs. Tyson swirled into fight week, especially given Tyson’s advanced age and concerning health. The previous booking of Paul vs. Tyson in July was called off on weeks’ notice after Tyson suffered a medical emergency while on a flight.
Despite the vast controversy surrounding the fight, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal and other top celebrities made their way to Dallas to catch the action live. But, O’Neal isn’t thrilled with the return on his investment of time and money, given the mostly lackluster and slow-paced fight.
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Shaquille O’Neal stiffed after watching Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson live
During a recent episode of The Big Podcast, O’Neal expressed his displeasure with how the Paul vs. Tyson fight turned out.
“I felt like I got robbed,” O’Neal said of Paul vs. Tyson. “Great people like us, we’re remembered for what we do, and what we did. So the fact that Mike [Tyson] was putting out the 15-second clips…I love Mike, but he’s 58. I could put out a 10-second Instagram clip, cut it, and I can make myself look like Victor Wembanyama…but that doesn’t mean I can get out there with the young boys.
“If Jake Paul really beats a 58-year-old Mike Tyson, is that something to be happy about? That’s like me right now, or when I was playing, playing against a 70-year-old Wilt Chamberlain and bragging ‘I’m the most dominant!’, but I wouldn’t’ve felt good about that. When [Evander Holyfield] fought Vitor Belfort, I didn’t feel good about that…I just didn’t like it.”
O’Neal’s comments echo many sentiments after Paul vs. Tyson. After the unprecedented boxing event’s financial success streaming live on Netflix, many conspiracy theories have been thrown around regarding the fight, including Paul allegedly giving Tyson hints at oncoming punches.
Paul and Most Valuable Promotions issued a lengthy statement days after the event, disputing all claims that the Tyson fight was fixed. As of this writing, there’s no direct evidence of the fight being fixed or scripted in any way.
Jake Paul and Most Valuable Promotions vehemently deny fight-fixing allegations
Boxing star Gervonta Davis is among a few top names in the sport who believe Tyson tarnished his legacy with the loss to Paul. O’Neal wouldn’t go that far during his recent podcast episode, and he remains an avid fan of MMA and boxing.
Shannon Briggs, a fellow heavyweight boxing great, blamed himself for how the Paul vs. Tyson fight played out. Early on in Paul’s boxing career, Briggs worked with him to coach him in the ins and outs of the ‘sweet science’.
In the weeks after Paul vs. Tyson, discussions remain rampant in the event’s ethics and integrity. In hindsight, O’Neal probably wouldn’t’ve invested time in ringside seats had he known how Paul vs. Tyson would’ve transpired.