Dallas Cowboys legend Michael Irvin has shared a theory suggesting Mike Tyson was restricted during his fight against Jake Paul last week.
Paul, 27, easily defeated Tyson, 58, on Friday night on Netflix, with the former heavyweight champion throwing just 18 punches as he trudged around the ring in a vain attempt to chase down his younger opponent.
The former YouTuber later claimed he held back against Tyson because he “didn’t want to hurt someone who didn’t need to be hurt.”
However, Irvin claimed it was Tyson who was forced to hold back due to a mysterious clause in the contract.
“I was looking for that patent ‘one in the body, one on the uppercut,’” the 58-year-old former NFL player began explaining to The Herd. “When he hits that, it’s boom boom, boom. I want to see that. But we didn’t get one, not one.”
“And I saw someone else say it was in the contract: ‘no uppercuts.’ They had it in the contract. Come on guys, why wouldn’t Mike give Tyson an uppercut?’
Jake Paul defeated Mike Tyson by unanimous decision in their Netflix showdown last Friday
Dallas Cowboys legend Michael Irvin claimed Tyson was held back due to a contract clause
The former wide receiver compared Tyson’s situation to his own, claiming that if he could return to the football field, he wouldn’t be held back.
“If Mike Irvin had good knees and could still play football but didn’t run a set route, then something is solved,” Irvin added.
Colin Cowherd, host of The Herd on FS1, agreed with Irvin’s theory but expanded on it, suggesting it could have had bigger implications for the fight.
“It was the kill shot and he didn’t throw one,” Cowherd repeated.
“Jake Paul had a chance (to knock out Tyson) around the fifth round and I wonder if, after what you said, Jake Paul said, ‘Listen, I signed a contract. He can’t throw an uppercut, so I’m not going to humiliate him,” he added.
Irvin’s isn’t the only conspiracy theory to emerge from the Netflix showdown after many fans claimed Paul’s unanimous victory was a given, pointing to a moment in the fight that they think proved it.
“Jake Paul signals Mike to take it easy,” a fan wrote on X in a post that included a clip of Tyson landing a chin shot.
Paul responded to the punch by sticking out his tongue and taunting Tyson, as if to say the punch didn’t bother him.
Jake Paul sticks his tongue out at Mike Tyson after taking a chin shot during his victory
At the end of the match, Tyson was hugged by Paul and the two had a brief conversation
It’s something Paul has done in previous fights, and even outside the ring the former YouTube star has made a habit of sticking his tongue out.
But according to these conspiracy theorists, Tyson was “signaling.”
Spokespeople for Most Valuable Promotions declined to comment when contacted by DailyMail.com. A Netflix spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The fan theory may not be supported by evidence.
Many were surprised that the fight was even sanctioned after it was initially postponed in June when Tyson suffered a flare-up of an ulcer during a cross-country flight.
Last week, Tyson claimed he almost died on that plane and ended up having eight blood transfusions as he recovered from the incident.