Never one to mince his words, Shaquille O’Neal has weighed in on Jake Paul’s fight against boxing legend Mike Tyson and slammed the bout, calling it a “robbery” and questioning the point of Paul’s victory over the 58-year-old Tyson.
O’Neal’s frustration stems from what he sees as an unfair matchup. While Tyson is one of the greatest fighters of all time, his prime was decades ago. Paul, at his physical peak and riding the momentum of his controversial boxing career, faced an opponent who simply wasn’t what he used to be.
O’Neal argued that true greatness comes from taking on competitors at their peak—not by beating up on older legends.
On his podcast with Evander Holyfield, he expressed his frustrations and said that Paul bragging about beating Tyson would be like him bragging about dominating a 70-year-old Wilt Chamberlain.
“Does that make me great? No, it makes me look ridiculous….Mike Tyson is a legend, no doubt, but he’s not 28 anymore. He’s 58. That’s not a win that proves anything about Jake Paul’s skills. It’s just a payday.”
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Shaq’s comments seem to echo the feelings of many fans who watched the fight. While the spectacle of Jake Paul versus Mike Tyson undoubtedly drew attention, it left a sour taste for those who felt it was more about cashing in on Tyson’s name than showcasing legitimate competition.
Despite managing to sell tickets claiming that he was truly back to his old self, Tyson could barely move during the actual fight. He probably still had a semblance of those quick hands but his legs and his hip movement were all gone. And even with that Paul couldn’t manage to knock him out.
Paul later claimed that it was out of mercy that he let Tyson walk out of the ring but nobody was buying it.
Regardless, Shaq’s message is clear: If Paul wants to prove he’s the real deal, “fight someone in their prime. Then we’ll talk.”
But it seems ‘The Problem Child‘ isn’t really paying any attention.
Jake Paul trolls haters on Twitter
Despite all the warranted backlash, Paul seems unfazed and is leaning into the controversy with his signature humor. He is embracing everyone who is calling him out for exclusively fighting retired fighters.
After news broke about the discovery of a 392-year-old Greenland shark being seen in the Arctic Ocean, Paul took to Twitter to stir the pot, writing,
“Next opponent found. Let’s run it.”
Next opponent found. Let’s run it https://t.co/8o2jViuqdZ
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) December 5, 2024
Now, we can complain all about him being shameless in his endeavors but the fact remains that the Paul-Tyson card broke the previous highest boxing gate record set by Canelo Alvarez. So, we are the ones paying to watch his fights!
