A conspiracy theory has surfaced around the Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul fight following the recent rule announcement, with ex-Premier League footballer Troy Deeney suggesting that the rules are designed to protect YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul. The bout is set to take place in Texas this summer and has sparked debate among fans.
The fight will see both Paul and boxing icon Tyson donning 14oz gloves for eight rounds of two minutes each. Deeney shared his thoughts on talkSPORT, indicating that the heavier gloves might be a precaution to shield Paul from Tyson’s legendary punching power.
Deeney questioned what would happen if Tyson managed to knock out Paul, saying: “I think that’s why the 14oz gloves are there. When you are watching the videos you can see that he still has the capabilities to tuck you in.”
He also mentioned a previous discussion with Roy Jones Jr, recalling: “We had a show a couple of weeks back with Roy Jones Jr and I asked the question ‘Come on, it’s a bit dodgy this, the big gloves, 14oz gloves’.”
Jones Jr’s response was telling, as per Deeney: “And his exact quote was, ‘They are not there to protect Mike’ so he knows if he lands one on Jake Paul he is going to hurt him. I feel this is a little bit WWE, a little bit, ‘let’s get through this’.
“Mike might hit him a little bit but Jake will get through the whole fight. Both of them will make a few quid, Jake gets an extra one on his record and then he’s got to look to try and get somewhere else.”
“I think the problem is we’re all sitting here saying we know what that fight is. We know that it is more entertainment than a serious boxing match. Look at Fury-Usyk coming up for example, but I think the worry we all have is we don’t want to have that conversation after if something was to go wrong. And we go, ‘told you so, why didn’t you listen?'”
Nakisa Bidarian, Paul’s business partner shared: “Mike Tyson and Jake Paul signed on to fight each other with the desire to do so in a sanctioned professional fight that would have a definitive outcome. Over the past six weeks MVP has worked with its partners to satisfy the requirements of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations (TDLR) to sanction Paul Vs Tyson and we are grateful that we have gotten to this point.”
He further adds: “MVP has championed fighter choice since its inception, including advocating for women’s boxing to be contested with two or three-minute rounds based on the particular fight matchup. Paul vs Tyson and Taylor vs Serrano 2 will both be contested with two-minute rounds and each mega-fight will have its winner. Thank you to the TDLR and Holden Boxing for their efforts throughout this process to date and we look forward to working closely with them as we approach fight night.”