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Jake Paul Says Rumors of Rigged Contracts for His Fights Are 'Completely Bulls--t'
December 8, 2021
Jake Paul is taking offense to any suggestions that his boxing matches are rigged fights designed for him to win.
Appearing on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, the YouTube personality dispelled the notion that his matches aren't legitimate:
"There’s rumors going around that everyone sort of has come to believe that my fights are rigged or I don’t allow my opponents to knock me out in the contract. It’s just not true. It’s completely bulls--t.
"Of course all these people are going to do is try to discredit me. Because when you’re at the top, that’s what happens. I just want to nip the rumors in the [bud] and give my opponent—contractually, I’m giving Tyron an extra $500,000 if he can knock me out. It just nips the rumors in the [bud] and shows people that all of my fights have been real, are real and will continue to be real."
The rumors percolated after Paul's fight with Ben Askren in April. The former MMA champion was knocked down early in the first round. He got to his feet before the referee's count got to eight, but after Paul was moved back to his corner, the referee waived off the match after returning to Askren's corner.
All Elite Wrestling star Chris Jericho and UFC color commentator Daniel Cormier were among those who found the fight to be rigged:
Askren didn't do anything to silence the rumors during the post-fight press conference as he called the loss "f--king embarrassing" with a wide grin on his face.
Paul's latest attempt to prove himself as a legitimate boxer is to include a $500,000 knockout bonus in Tyron Woodley's contract for their upcoming fight on Dec. 18.
The 24-year-old has a 4-0 record in professional boxing. He defeated Woodley by split decision in their first bout on Aug. 29.
