Jake Paul and Mike Tyson appeared to put their rivalry in the ring aside to toast the freshly sworn-in President Donald Trump Monday night – but boxing fans now claim there was never any real conflict to begin with.
The boxers, enemies in the ring just months ago, were more than cordial as they mingled among the political heavyweights, tech titans and media moguls at the many galas to celebrate Trump’s inauguration in Washington DC.
Paul, 27, and Tyson, 58, joined the sporting A-listers headlining the inauguration celebrations, including the likes of Conor McGregor, Dana White and Paul’s brother, Logan.
But instead of clashing – as they did two months ago at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas – the pair teamed up to provide a memorable moment from the festivities.
In a video Tyson was seen getting on his former rival’s shoulders as onlookers chanted words of encouragement.
Both dressed in slick tuxedos for the black-tie event, Paul easily lifted Iron Mike, who is 31 years his senior, as the boxing legend put his hands over his face in nervousness and shouted in excitement.
Jake Paul hauled his former rival Mike Tyson onto his shoulders at the inauguration festivities
27-year-old Paul beat Tyson by unanimous decision in their Netflix showdown in November
Paul shared the clip to his Instagram profile and captioned the post, ‘Best friends,’ which raised eyebrows among many boxing fans.
The alleged foes-turned-friends’ act was a tad too friendly for some fans’ tastes, especially coming just two months after they went head-to-head in a controversial Netflix showdown.
Many social media users claimed the viral moment was evidence that their bout, which reportedly saw Tyson take home $20million and Paul $40million, was rigged.
‘They’re celebrating the $20M rigged fight,’ one user replied to the video on X, formerly known as Twitter.
‘Well..they look just as cozy together as the first one too,.anyone stupid enough to pay for another Jake Paul fight deserves to lose their money,’ a second fumed.
‘Rematch right now. For real this time lol,’ another quipped.
‘Both happy that they got paid,’ one fan said, referring to the duo’s jubilant mood, while another added: ‘Jake Paul and Mike Tyson still laughing all the way to the bank…’
‘Mike went home with $20M after the fight. He don’t care,’ another said of the boxing icon.
The alleged foes-turned-friends’ act was a tad too friendly for some fans’ tastes
‘I knew that fight was fixed,’ one user claimed, ‘“ fight “ lol,’ another added, while a third sarcastically asked: ‘What fight?’
Paul easily defeated the 58-year-old Tyson in the highly-anticipated bout on November 15 as the former heavyweight champion landed only 18 punches while lumbering around the ring in a futile attempt to chase down his younger opponent.
The event, which generated more than $18 million in gate revenue, was exclusively broadcast on Netflix. It’s estimated that 65 million households watched the fight , making it the most-streamed sporting event in US history.
The lackluster result sparked several conspiracy theories with even Dallas Cowboys legend Michael Irvin suggesting the fight had been fixed due to a mystery clause in the contract.
Others were surprised the fight had even been sanctioned after it was initially delayed in June when Tyson suffered an ulcer flareup on a cross-country flight and claimed he nearly died.
Paul, a YouTuber-turned-boxer, publicly endorsed Trump days before the election. Tyson, meanwhile, didn’t formally endorse the president this time around, but has said complimentary things about the new Commander-in-Chief over the last three decades.
Their relationship dates back to the 1980s, when Trump hosted some of Tyson’s fights in the gambling town of Atlantic City, New Jersey .
‘I always remember him from being a good guy, paying me a lot of money,’ Tyson said with a chuckle in 2022 during an appearance on the New York Post Sports’ podcast.
Before the 2016 election , Tyson told Huffington Post, ‘He should be president of the United States. Hell yeah, big time!’