Mike Tyson doesn’t believe he was tired in his fight with Jake Paul and expected himself to perform better.
The 58-year-old heavyweight legend looked aged and fatigued in his eight-round boxing clash against influencer-turned-boxer Paul, as he slumped to a points defeat.
Having been a ferocious puncher in his prime years where he reigned as an undisputed heavyweight world champion, ‘Iron Mike’ looked a shadow of himself.
Tyson had suffered health problems in the lead-up to the showdown, where he admitted he ‘almost died’.
But he was cleared to fight in the sanctioned bout, but landed just 18 punches along the 16-minute distance.
In a bizarre admission talking in the aftermath of the fight, Tyson insists he wasn’t tired and the fight simply passed him by.
He said: “Magically. It just happened so quick. 8 round were over fast.
“I wasn’t tired. I wasn’t sweating. I didn’t understand that.
“As I said before the sky is the limit. Anything I want, I’m just happy to be able to do it.
“I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to be able to do everything that I want to do in this and beyond.”
Tyson also told reporters during the Q&A that he isn’t sure if he intends to compete in the ring again.
But the 58-year-old is likely to remain involved with combat sports in some capacity, be it training or punditry.
The defeat made a sad stain on his professional record, given Paul has much lesser experience, and was simply fitter and in his physical prime.
Tyson was unable to get any foothold and unleash his power, despite looking so ferocious in training footage.
As a result, social media users accused the pair of ‘rigging’ the fight outcome, despite it being a licensed professional bout.
Both Paul and Tyson have vehemently denied the allegations, insisting things were all above board.
And Paul’s promotional outfit Most Valuable Promotions have even issued a statement, hitting out at critics of the event.
It read: “MVP would like to set the record straight regarding the contractual agreements and the nature of the fight,” it read.
“Rigging a professional boxing match is a federal crime in the United States of America.
“Paul vs Tyson was a professional match sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations (TDLR).
“Both fighters in good faith performed to the best of their abilities with the goal of winning the fight.
“There were absolutely no restrictions – contractual or otherwise – around either fighter.
“Each boxer was able to use his full arsenal to win the fight. Any agreement to the contrary would violate TDLR boxing rules.”
