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Claim: Several Facebook users claimed that the fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul was staged, and both boxers sued.
Verdict: FALSE. While there have been allegations that the fight was staged, no official records validate such rumours. Also, no credible media platform has reported legal action against both boxers since the fight.
Full Text
Mike Tyson, an American former heavyweight champion, retired from boxing after duelling with Kevin McBride in 2005. His record stood at 50 wins, six losses, and two no contests, with an impressive 44 of those victories coming by knockout since he made his professional debut in 1985.
Now 58, Mr Tyson, known as Iron Mike, accepted a duel challenge from Jake Paul, a 27-year-old social media influencer-cum boxer, in March 2024. The bout, held on Nov. 15, 2024, generated significant revenue, with Jake Paul reportedly earning $10 million and Mike Tyson taking home $5 million.
Also, Netflix recorded about 65 million concurrent streamers globally from the fight that ended with the scorecard reading 80-72, 79-73, and 79-73 in Paul’s favour.
A few weeks after the epic battle, claims that both fighters were sued for staging the fight went viral on social media. A Facebook user, Boxing Fan Lover, said, “Breaking news: Jake Paul and Mike Tyson sued for fighting in a scripted boxing match.” Attached to the post were images of Mr Tyson and Mr Paul held by security officials while in handcuffs.
Since Dec. 2, 2024, the post has gained over 1,900 reactions, 602 comments, and 422 reshares since it was posted on November 28, 2024.
DUBAWA counted about 14 Facebook users that posted the claim, but it gained massive reactions here, here, here, here, here, and here.
The virality of the claim and its possible impact on the epic battle’s integrity prompted DUBAWA to verify the information.
Verification
Both boxers reacted to the rumour, stating that the fight was not staged and did not violate any regulation. Also, the sponsoring company, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), described the rumour as baseless and incorrect, stating that the fight complied with all appropriate regulations for a match sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations (TDLR). Also, the released statement said staging the fight would sabotage the lucrative partnership with Netflix, which generated a record 65 million concurrent streaming.
“Both fighters, in good faith, performed to the best of their abilities with the goal of winning the fight. 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,” the statement revealed.
Despite using advanced keyword search, we could not find any credible media organisation report that such legal action is underway.
DUBAWA also sent a message to Mr Tyson on his verified Instagram account, but we’re yet to receive a response as of Dec. 2, 2024. Attempts to contact Mr Paul proved abortive as he could not be reached through his inbox on his social media pages.
Using artificial intelligence detection tools, we analysed the attached images showing both boxers handcuffed to detect traits of deepfake. One such tool, Is It AI, revealed that Tyson’s image has a 70% probability of being generated with AI. The suspected tool is Midjourney, infamously used to produce misleading images that propagate misinformation globally.
Conclusion
No credible media organisation reported that Mike Tyson and Jake Paul were sued for staging the epic fight on Nov. 15, 2024. The viral images showing both fighters getting arrested are deepfakes. Therefore, the claim is false.
