Mike Tyson's friend claims fight with Jake Paul was rigged due to 'slow down' warning

A sports legend friend of Mike Tyson has called into question his high-profile comeback fight with Jake Paul.

NFL icon and former Pro-Bowler Adam “Pacman” Jones alleged that he felt the Netflix fight was allegedly “rigged.” The Cincinnati Bengals cornerback says he wants to see Tyson return and put on a “real fight.”

Pacman’s punchy comments will add more fuel to claims from naysayers about the legitimacy of the Dallas bout watched by tens of millions of viewers last month. Pacman, who is friends with the youngest ever heavyweight champion of the world, feels social media influencer turned boxer Paul was not “aggressive”.

Paul has vehmently denied rumors in the past that the fight was rigged or a PR stunt. But Pacman exclusively told the Mirror US: “I truly think the fight was rigged because if you look at the first round, Mike hit him with a couple and it looked like he told him to slow down.

“Did I think his feet were all the way there? No, I didn't. He was a little wobbly on the feet. I like Mike Tyson. I love Mike Tyson. I love to see a real fight with Mike Tyson.”

The retired NFL star, who has his own show 'The Pacman Jones Show' on BetOnline, feels that there is a “beast still within” the Brooklyn brawler.

Pacman Jones believes Jake Paul told Mike Tyson to slow down (

Image:

Getty Images for Netflix © 2024)

However watching the fight ringside, Pacman has since questioned the intensity of the fight: “Paul knocked everybody else out. He wasn't as aggressive though with Mike. He looked a little timid to me. If you had asked me after that first round. ( I’d have thought) ‘ Oh s---, this is a difficult one.’”

Pacman was unaware that Tyson had revealed he had endured life-threatening medical issues months before the fight, even needing a significant blood transfusion. But he backed the decision of the 58-year-old, who appeared sluggish, tired, and uneasy inside the ropes, to battle a man less than half his age. “If he is medically cleared, let him go. He is a f------ warrior, bro. “

In a cheeky conclusion, Jones noted that he has not addressed these issues with Tyson since the bout, because “he has been out of the country balling.”

Pacman wants to step into the ring next for a celebrity fight. He has laid down a challenge to sportscaster and former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith. Smith and Jones have long-term beef after years of badmouthing one another in media following many famous on-field tussles.

“If you are asking me to go out and fight right now, three rounds. I would definitely do. That is a no-brainer. "Steve Smith I don’t like him. He is a d-------. He know what he did. I ain't got to put all that out there. The first time I met him as a rookie, he was a d-------."

Pacman is delighted to be allowed free range to speak his mind on all sports with his BetOnline deal and talk show. “Nothing is off limits. I keep using the phrase ‘politely raw’ - and that is what we are. I talk about facts.

“I’m very pleased with BetOnline, they do a great job of taking care of everything that I need as far as producing and helping me with the show. This is just the beginning. In the next year we will be one of the biggest shows - if not the biggest."