Jake Paul And Mike Tyson's Wild Face-Off Has Everyone Saying The Same Thing

After months of hype, the showdown between boxing icon Mike Tyson and vlogger-turned-fighter Jake Paul is finally happening. But instead of fueling excitement, their final staredown left fans rolling their eyes. Tyson smacked Paul during the face-off — a move so over-the-top that fans immediately called it staged. If this was their attempt to generate buzz, it feels more like reality TV than real boxing.

Originally set for July, the fight was delayed after Tyson's ulcer forced him to pause training. Now rescheduled for November 15, 2024, it marks Tyson's first sanctioned bout in nearly two decades. Fans are eager to see if the GOAT still has it, while Tyson seems equally fired up to prove he still got it. On the other hand, Paul is treating this as his chance to climb boxing's credibility ladder. "He's the one that wanted it to be a pro fight and me, as a young person in this sport, is not going to (pass) up the opportunity to fight the GOAT of boxing," Paul told AP News. "It's like Ja Morant turning down a 1-v-1 against LeBron. It's not going to happen."

With Tyson out to defend his legacy and Paul hoping to silence critics, the stakes couldn't be higher. But instead of ramping up excitement, Tyson's slap has left fans rolling their eyes. Was it a genuine moment of intensity or a desperate bid for attention? Either way, the fans aren't here for it.

Mike Tyson couldn't resist bringing the drama to his final weigh-in with Jake Paul, delivering a slap that seemingly came out of nowhere. Netflix, which is live streaming the fight to its 280 million subscribers, caught the moment in all its glory. Paul, of course, turned it into a clout-chasing moment, tweeting, "This is a pinch me moment. I got slapped by Mike Tyson."

Fans, however, weren't falling for it. X (formerly Twitter) was rife with accusations that the slap was just another scripted attempt to stir up hype. "That was definitely staged and scripted," one mused, with another saying, "When you know the time but especially money they spent to make this happen, you already know they HAVE to have some built hype the day before can't blame em (well a little)." The theories spiraled from there, with many suggesting the fight is rigged for Paul. He's the one with the Netflix deal, after all, while Tyson came in as a later addition. "I think anyone with common sense knows that even if Tyson could hold his own at this age the fight gonna be rigged in favor of Jake. S***s gonna be depressing to see, I've always been a huge fan of Mike," one fan said. Over on r/boxing, even diehard Tyson stans reluctantly agreed: "No way Jake Paul agrees to fight where he legitimately gets his ass kicked. I can't imagine this not being rigged."

Paul, unsurprisingly, doubled down on the theatrics. I didn't even feel it. He's angry. He's an angry little elf... Mike Tyson, I thought that was a cute slap," he told his opponent, and then went on to make a threat. "It's personal now. He must die."

While fans debate whether Mike Tyson's slap at Jake Paul was staged, Tyson's buddy made a revelation: it wasn't scripted — it was petty revenge. According to Tom Patti, Tyson's close friend who was also present at the weigh-in event, Paul stepped on Tyson's foot, and that was all it took. "Jake stepped on Mike's foot, that prompted the reaction,” he told USA Today. "I was there and Mike just told me.” Patti also didn't hold back, calling Paul's antics just plain rude and uncalled for. "My personal opinion (is) Jake shows enough disrespect that he starts crawling up to Mike and then pouncing in front of him... Like some sort of lurching animal. Mike put him in his place,” he added.

As for the fight itself, whether it's rigged or not remains to be seen. What we do know is that it's sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, with a few adjustments — and frankly, borderline suspicious fight rules — to level the playing field. Think heavier gloves and shorter rounds — eight rounds of two minutes each instead of the standard three. It's clear they're taking steps to account for Tyson's age and Paul's, err, enthusiasm.

Still, Tyson isn't sweating the critics who question why he's even considered stepping into the ring after so long — and against a vlogger, no less. "Because I can. Who else can do it but me? Who else is he going to fight to make this happen?" he said at a press conference (via ESPN). "We've just got to listen to the facts. We've got a YouTuber fighting the greatest fighter that ever lived."