Piers Morgan has clarified and walked back his claims that Jake Paul’s fights are ‘staged’ just days after the boxer hired an A-List lawyer.
The renowned TV broadcaster famously went head to head with Paul ahead of his June fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. After a heated interview, the controversial boxer stormed off the show, and the pair have been at odds since.
This week, Paul announced that he would be hiring lawyer Alex Spiro, who has represented the likes of Elon Musk and Alec Baldwin in the past. His plan was to shut down anyone claiming his fights, which are sanctioned professionally and bet on at a rate of millions of dollars, are rigged, which is a federal crime.
- Who is Jake Paul? Get to know the YouTuber-turned-boxing sensation after his record-breaking fight with Mike Tyson
Piers Morgan rolls back on ‘staged’ Jake Paul fight claim
In a post this evening on X, Piers Morgan took to social media to address previous comments he had made regarding Jake Paul’s fights. After watching him defeat Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in California, Morgan called the fight ‘boring staged bulls—‘.
“The guy’s lining his pockets with buckets of $$$$,” Morgan wrote in a tweet which he has since deleted. “But he’s killing boxing with this boring staged bulls— against older fighters way past their prime.”
And today, Morgan released a lengthy statement rolling back on that comment, writing: “I posted a few weeks ago that Jake Paul’s boxing career has been ‘boring staged bulls—.’
“What I meant is that his fights have been predominantly against older, past-their-prime opponents, which may be lucrative for both sides, and may have entertainment value, but don’t reveal how he stacks up against currently ranked boxers and therefore are not a good look for the sport.
“I did not intend to suggest that the outcome was predetermined and certainly didn’t mean to suggest anything illegal.
“But if reports are correct that Jake is now in negotiations to fight Anthony Joshua, that would obviously be a seriously credible bout against one of the best heavyweights in the world. Jake is welcome to come on Uncensored to discuss this, and verbally slug it out with me, anytime.”
Jake Paul hired lawyer to take action against claims he fixes his fights
Just this week, Paul brought in legal counsel to help him defend himself against claims that he rigs his fights. The bouts are fully sanctioned professional sporting events, with massive betting lines, and fixing their outcome would be a federal crime.
The YouTuber has spared no expense, bringing in A-List attorney Alex Spiro. The New Yorker reportedly charges around $3,000 an hour for his services, and is renowned for aggressively protecting the reputations of his clients.
In a statement to the Daily Mail, Spiro said: “I’ve been retained by Mr. Paul to pursue legal redress for the damages he has suffered. If someone uses their public soapbox to harm him and the sport with lies, there will be consequences.”