- A fake script for Tyson’s fight with Paul has provoked a strong reaction from fans
- The script claims that one of the boxers in the £77.5m bout will be knocked out
A fake script for Mike Tyson and Jake Paul’s fight in Texas has been doing the rounds on social media – leaving some fans stunned.
Tyson and Paul come to blows in the early hours of Saturday morning at the 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium in Arlington, with many fans tuning in via Netflix for the unique showdown.
The small matter of 31 years separate the former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, 58, and the YouTube celebrity-turned-boxer, 27, in a bout that has boxing purists tutting.
And a user on X has claimed to leak a detailed script of proceedings, even ‘revealing’ who gets knocked out in the fifth round.
Mail Sport must highlight the suspicious nature of the document, shared by an anonymous account with 204 followers. Not only does it purport to script how the crowd will react at particular moments – implying that everybody would have to be in on the act – but it claims a cut will open above Tyson’s eye on cue in the fourth round.
All the same, it has provoked a strong reaction from boxing nuts and, if only for entertainment value, is summarised below.
A fake script has been ‘leaked’ ahead of Mike Tyson’s fight with Jake Paul in Arlington, Texas
The ‘script’, shared by an anonymous account, claims that one of the fighters is scheduled to be knocked out in the fifth round
An anonymous account with 204 followers shared the questionable order of events
According to the script, Tyson gets off to a strong start but is let down by his lack of stamina.
While the 58-year-old lands some powerful blows, Paul ‘weathers the storm’ and starts to gain an upper hand in the third round as he evades most of his opponents’ punches.
A cut above Iron Mike’s left eye opens up in the fourth round and it is lights out in the fifth, as a ‘devastating’ righ-hander to the chin sends him sprawling to the canvas, where he is counted out.
Voila – according to this spurious script, Tyson, one of history’s most successful fighters, has agreed to schedule his own demise at the hands of a YouTuber.
His advocates were in uproar in the comments section. Tyson has only been beaten six times in 58 fights.
‘Iron Mike won’t allow such nonsense,’ wrote one.
‘Tyson isn’t going to ruin his reputation by coming out of retirement for a fixed fight,’ said another.
‘Does Mike know about this,’ joked one.
Most fans in the comments dismissed the idea that Tyson would agree to lose in advance
However, some thought that he would take a scripted fight to boost his bank balance
‘Everybody knows Tyson doesn’t follow rules,’ one pointed out.
‘Total BS. Tyson becomes Iron Mike when the bell rings. This is deep seeded in Tyson’s DNA and can’t be manipulated or redefined. Tyson wins by a KO,’ another said.
However, some people felt that Tyson agree to a scripted fight for a pretty penny. He is set to walk away with almost £16million from the bout and that could double depending on how the fight performs.
‘Family is more important than ego to him in this season of his life. And that kind of money for his generations is huge. His podcast ain’t making that kinda money for sure,’ said one user.
‘He doesn’t care about his legacy,’ another wrote – echoing Tyson’s words to a young interviewer ahead of the bout.
