Michael Irvin, a member of the NFL Hall of Fame, expressed that the fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul “was a lie” and stated that there was even a contract, according to which certain punches could not be thrown.
During the podcast 'It Is What It Is', Irvin indicated that in the fight contract there was a clause that established that Tyson could not use his famous uppercut and that both fighters could not go all out.
“That fight was a lie… Everyone lies… They didn't really intend to tie him up. If you look through that, I didn't see a Mike Tyson patented uppercut. What did Tyson win with? With his uppercut,” the former NFL star stated, as reported by the New York Post.
He repudiated the existence of a contract that prevents the uppercut, Mike Tyson's characteristic attack. "How can you put that in a fighting contract?", he emphasized, pointing out that this punch would have been "the best gift" that Jake Paul or any boxer could take from "Iron Mike".
"Man, that's a big lie for me. That's like making me play a game on my favorite routes. You do what you do best. If they take it away from you, you're no longer that guy, and they took it away," said Irvin, who witnessed the fight from the second row, behind Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who also owns the AT&T Stadium in Arlington where the fight took place.
Irvin, who is one of the best receivers in NFL history and won three Super Bowls with the Cowboys, admitted to being "surprised" at not seeing Tyson deliver his uppercut, although there are versions suggesting that, at 58 years old, his condition may not be the same to execute this attack.
Possible lawsuit over the fight?
Dan Lust, sports lawyer at Moritt Hock & Hamroff and professor of law at the New York Law School, explained to The Post that the fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul has lawsuit possibilities.
"I wouldn't be surprised at all to see a lawsuit filed in this fight," said the legal expert.
The aforementioned media outlet noted that Paul, 31 years younger than Tyson, admitted to journalists that he did not want to hurt the former champion. "I didn't want to hurt someone who didn't need to be hurt," said the blonde boxer, who, when asked if he took his foot off the gas, answered "yes" and that he "wanted to give the fans a show."
The lawyer explained that this could lay the groundwork for a lawsuit because the expectation was that it was a real fight sanctioned by Texas.
Lust also raised the possibility of a class-action lawsuit due to bets that may have been placed on this fight, although he noted that so far, lawsuits related to sports betting have not been successful.