Jake Paul Could Face Legal Trouble After Mike Tyson Fight
Jake Paul made easy work of Mike Tyson in Friday’s fight, weathering an early flurry from the former heavyweight champion and dominating the late rounds to win in a unanimous decision.
But Paul’s battle may not be over yet, with one legal expert suggesting that some of the YouTube star’s postfight comments may have opened the door for a lawsuit and put his big payday at risk.
Paul appeared to admit following the fight that he pulled punches in later rounds, saying he “wanted to give the fans a show” and suggesting that he didn’t want to hurt the 58-year-old Tyson.
“There was a point where I was like ‘OK, he’s not really engaging back.’ And so I don’t know if he is tired or hurt or whatever, and I could just tell that his age was showing a little bit and I just have so much respect for him and that violence, war thing between us … kind of went away as the rounds went on,” Paul said, via the New York Post.
Dan Lust, a sports attorney and law professor at New York Law School, told the New York Post that Paul’s comments could put the entire fight in jeopardy. He noted that the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation sanctioned the fight, creating the legal expectation that both fighters would be engaging in a true boxing match.
“The expectation was this was going to be a real fight sanctioned by Texas,” Lust said. “They are telling you this is not an exhibition.”
Lust added that Paul’s decision to pull back at the conclusion of the fight only added to the bad looks, which could lead to a lawsuit from anyone who wagered on the fight expecting a true outcome and lost money.
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“Paul taking bows and not fighting to the last minute, the optics are just odd,” Lust said. “Would it shock me if there was a class action lawsuit? No. It’s not on me to form one, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see one.”
Lust added that past attempts to sue over betting expectations — including an attempt to sue Major League Baseball over the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal — have failed in court. But he said that could still leave Paul in legal trouble as his $40 million payday is contingent on the fight having been completed, and a lawsuit could put that at risk.
