Terence Crawford does not believe Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul was on the level.
In November 2024, former boxing world champion and global icon Mike Tyson returned to the boxing ring to square off with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in one of the biggest sporting spectacles of the year. Tyson, who was 58 at the time, had no competed professionally in nearly two decades, and struggled with the much younger Paul, losing a unanimous decision.
In the immediate aftermath, some called the contest rigged, and now Terence Crawford is among them.
“I think it was scripted,” Crawford told Joe Rogan on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast when asked about Tyson vs. Paul. “I ain’t never seen Tyson biting his gloves and — it was taking all that he could not to hit him, [miming frustration]. It was just like, it’s heartbreaking to see an icon go out like that.”
Accusations of scripted fights have followed Paul throughout his boxing career and peaked with Tyson-Paul, which was one of the most viewed boxing matches ever. However, there’s never been evidence to back up the allegations and Paul and his promotion staunchly deny any claims.
For Crawford though, the true tragedy of the affair is that it happened at all. While Tyson seemed happy to make a return to professional boxing and a grand stage at the age of 58, Crawford viewed the event as a sad cash grab from a Hall of Famer.
“He shouldn’t have been in there. At all,” Crawford said. “I think there’s other ways. I think, with all his connections and things like that, I think people could have put him in the right position to make some money.”
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