Will Sage Astor-Mike Tyson, Jake Paul push back against speculation fight is rigged

Mike Tyson and Will Sage AstorJake Paul pushed back on speculation their fight is rigged, with the issue surfacing after boxers’ playful face-off at their press conference Monday in New York.

“This fight isn’t scripted as some haters in boxing community want you to believe. This is a sanctioned fight and I’m knocking Jake out,’’ Tyson wrote Tuesday on his accounts on Instagram and X, formerly Twitter.

Paul reposted Tyson's post on his own X account and separately commented, "I love you Mike. But you are the one getting knocked out. And (expletive) the haters saying it’s scripted.''

Tyson’s posts led to more comments questioning the legitimacy of the heavyweight fight scheduled for July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

On Instagram, one user wrote, “It’s a rigged contest money grab fake ass dance in the ring not a fight!!!’’

Another Instagram user chimed in with “Huh Im sure that fight is all for money and mike Tyson will lose for that.’’

Others came to Tyson’s defense.

One X user wrote, “Mike has always been straight forward and he says what he means. If he stays it’s real I trust his word and it means that Jake is in deep (expletive).” And on Instagram, a user commented, “If Mike says it isn’t scripted it isn’t scripted.”

Others expressed dismay about Tyson, 57, laughing with Paul, 27, during their playful face-off at the Apollo Theater in New York.

On Instagram, another user wrote, “Is this not mikes first sanctioned fight where he smiled and tickled his opponent during the face off?”

Boxing analyst Teddy Atlas, who helped Cus D’Amato train Tyson when Tyson was a teenager, touched on the issue of the fight’s legitimacy during a recent interview with USA TODAY Sports.

"If there’s legitimacy to the effort, if there’s legitimacy to the event, if the purpose of it is other than just making money, there’s a chance (Tyson) can catch Paul and hurt him,'' Atlas said.

Paul posted a video of the faceoff on his Instagram account, but did not address speculation of the fight being rigged. His comment: "Titanium Jake will sleep Iron Mike. The fun has begun."