Mike Tyson gave ‘one of the great Oscar-winning performances of all time’ in Jake Paul defeat
Sylvester Stallone has sparked fresh controversy over Jake Paul’s recent victory against Mike Tyson, claiming the boxing legend delivered ‘one of the great Oscar-winning performances of all time.’
The Hollywood star, famous for his role as Rocky Balboa, took to Instagram to suggest the Netflix showdown was staged.
The comments come after Paul, 27, secured a dominant victory over the 58-year-old former heavyweight champion last weekend.
The fight statistics paint a clear picture of Paul’s control throughout the eight-round contest, which has only added fuel to the fire.
The younger boxer landed 78 punches during the 16-minute bout, whilst Tyson managed just 18 strikes.
To put this into perspective, IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois threw 79 punches in just five rounds when he defeated Anthony Joshua at Wembley in September.
Paul later claimed he held back from knocking out the former undisputed heavyweight champion, insisting he didn’t want to ‘hurt’ a man he grew up idolizing.
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However, some observers have suggested it was Tyson who was restraining himself during the controversial event.
Taking to Instagram, Stallone revealed his long-standing connection to Tyson, stating he has known the “unbelievable athlete” since he was 19 years old – before then saying he gave an ‘Oscar-winning performance’ for the sake of his family.
“Just to set my personal record straight. Business is business,” he wrote.
“SOMETIMES you have to do hard things and sacrifice for the sake of helping your FAMILY.
“I have known this unbelievable athlete since hes 19 years old and what we saw was him giving one of the great Oscar winning performances of all time!!!!
“Please, Jake, be grateful, HE SPARED YOUR LIFE! Trust me .. Keep punching Mike, there will never be a MAN like you, a GLADIATOR like you, and a SOUL like you!
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“Keep punching champion of champions! I remember once I bumped into him and thought I was hit by runaway BULLDOZER!!!”
NFL legend Michael Irvin has joined the chorus of voices questioning the fight’s authenticity.
The former Dallas Cowboys star specifically pointed to Tyson’s failure to throw his signature combination.
“I was looking for that patent ‘one in the body, one on the uppercut,'” Irvin explained on The Herd. “When he hits that it’s boom boom, boom. I want to see that. But we didn’t get that, not a one.”
Irvin suggested there may have been contractual restrictions on Tyson’s fighting style.
“They had it in the contract – ‘no uppercuts.’ Come on guys, why wouldn’t Mike Tyson throw an uppercut?” he questioned.
There remains nothing to substantiate any of these claims, however, with both Paul and Tyson adamant their fight was legitimate.