- Paul defeated Tyson by unanimous decision after eight rounds at AT&T Stadium.
- Tyson, 58, failed to deliver the punching power that many fans expected.
- Stallone believes the former world champion was refraining from punching
Sylvester Stallone has added fuel to the fire regarding allegations that Jake Paul’s dominant victory over two-time world champion Mike Tyson was fixed.
Paul, 27, was in control throughout last week’s fight with Tyson, who is 31 years older than his opponent, driving the fight’s somewhat slow pace throughout its eight rounds.
Paul landed a total of 78 punches over the course of the 16-minute fight, while Tyson only mustered 18 as he did his best to stay upright and watch the controversial event.
By contrast, Daniel Dubois, the IBF heavyweight champion, threw 79 punches in the five rounds needed to defeat Anthony Joshua at Wembley in September.
After his lopsided victory, Paul claimed he refrained from knocking out the once undisputed heavyweight champion. However, theories that it was actually Tyson who held back have been in full swing after the fight.
And now Stallone, famous for playing iconic boxing character Rocky Balboa, has claimed that Tyson ‘saved’ Paul and gave an acting display that even the greatest entertainers would be proud of.
Jake Paul defeated former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in dominant fashion
Actor Sylvester Stallone believes Tyson was actually holding back from knocking out Paul
Rocky icon claimed Tyson ‘saved’ Paul from serious harm and should receive Oscar
—Just to clarify my personal background. “Business is business,” Stallone wrote on Instagram. Sometimes you have to do hard things and sacrifice to help your family.
‘I’ve known this incredible athlete (Tyson) since he was 19 and what we saw him in was one of the greatest Oscar-winning performances of all time.
‘Please, Jake, be grateful, he spared your life. Trust me. Keep hitting Mike, there will never be a man like you, a gladiator like you and a soul like you.
‘Keep hitting champion of champions! I remember one time I crashed into it and thought I had been hit by an out-of-control bulldozer.
Stallone is not the only star who has perpetuated the rhetoric that Paul and Tyson organized the Netflix showdown in Texas.
Michael Irvin, an NFL legend, added to the growing list of conspiracies by suggesting that Tyson did not throw specific shots because of a clause in his fight contract.
“I was looking for that ‘one on the body, one on the hook’ patent,” Irvin began explaining in The Herd. ‘When it hits that’s boom boom, boom. I want to see that. But we didn’t get that, not a single one.
‘And I saw someone else say it was in the contract: “no hooks.” They had it in the contract. Come on guys, why wouldn’t Mike Tyson throw a hook?
Stallone and Tyson (pictured in 1986) have been close since the former filmed Rocky.
Tyson only managed to land 18 punches during eight rounds and 16 minutes in the ring.
The former Dallas Cowboy compared Tyson’s situation to his own, stating that if he could return to the football field, then nothing would stop him.
“If Mike Irvin had good knees and could still play football but didn’t follow a set route, something is fixed,” Irvin added.
However, Tyson simply could not match Paul’s energy and his condition worsened during the eight-round clash.
However, despite the veteran’s problems, it was curious to see Paul refrain from dealing a decisive blow.