‘Best friends’ Jake Paul and Mike Tyson called out over wild inaugural ball scenes
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Boxers celebrated together at Donald Trump’s inaugural Starlight Ball. Jake Paul and Mike Tyson have made it clear that they are “best friends” despite having fans believe otherwise last year when they faced off in the ring for the first time. In an Instagram video from the evening, 28-year-old Paul could be seen hoisting his former opponent Tyson, 58, onto his shoulders, while a crowd cheered them on.
![[Jake Paul hoists Mike Tyson on his shoulders at inaugural ball]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/21/14/Untitled-design.jpg)
“Best friends,” Paul wrote in the caption. “They played us for millions,” one person wrote, with a second adding: “We didn’t even pay, but I feel like somehow they still robbed us.”. “Oh that fight was definitely rigged,” a third declared. “Everything was fake,” another agreed.
The controversial fight, which had originally been billed as the “fight of the century,” ended on an anticlimactic note as Paul held off in the final round and bowed to Tyson in the ring. The YouTuber was then declared the winner by a unanimous decision by the judges.
MVP released a statement calling those claims “incorrect and baseless,” and saying their “wide circulation” has “undermine[d] the integrity” of the event. “Both fighters in good faith performed to the best of their abilities with the goal of winning the fight. There were absolutely no restrictions — contractual or otherwise — around either fighter. Each boxer was able to use his full arsenal to win the fight. Any agreement to the contrary would violate TDLR boxing rules.”.
Acknowledging that “trash talk and speculation are common in sports, and athletes and promoters need to tolerate nonsensical commentary, jokes and opinions,” it added: “But suggesting anything other than full effort from these fighters is not only naive but an insult to the work they put into their craft and to the sport itself.”.
