He would’ve knocked you into tomorrow, Jake.
Sylvester Stallone, the legendary actor best known for playing fictional Philadelphia boxer Rocky Balboa, seems to think Mike Tyson took a dive against Jake Paul in favor of getting a payday.
“Just to set my personal record straight. Business is business. SOMETIMES you have to do hard things and sacrifice for the sake of helping your FAMILY,” Stallone said of Tyson in an Instagram post.
Tyson looked like a shell of himself in the fight, not throwing his classic hook to the body followed by an uppercut to the chin — a staple combination during his heyday.
In several clips posted on social media, Tyson appears to hold back a right hook to the chin in favor of a feint, undoubtedly a questionable look as Paul badly flinched.
“I have known this unbelievable athlete since he’s 19 years old and what we saw was him giving one of the great Oscar winning performances of all time!!!! Please, Jake, be grateful, HE SPARED YOUR LIFE!” Stallone wrote.
“Trust me ….. Keep punching Mike, there will never be a MAN like you, a GLADIATOR like you, and a SOUL like you! Keep punching champion of champions! I remember once I bumped into him and thought I was hit by runaway BULLDOZER!!!”
Other also questioned why Paul was seen throwing his overhand right punch just once through the bout, when it is has helped him knock out other fighters.
In his prime, Tyson probably knocks Paul out with this shot.
Instead, Tyson curiously held back, and Stallone had no problems with that while others speculated that the fight was a sham.
Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin was shocked to see Tyson not throw his vicious combination once and is convinced the boxers were told to take it easy on each other.
One sports lawyer told The Post that sports bettors would have a solid argument for a class action lawsuit if either fighter was indeed knowingly compromised before the fight, no matter whether injury was a factor.
Paul, who was also the promoter of the fight, helped set unique rules for the fight, including fewer and shorter rounds and heavier gloves. Those rules should have helped the 58-year-old Tyson.
Paul also said after the fight that he was not trying to knock out Tyson.
Paul said he “didn’t want to hurt someone that didn’t need to be hurt,” further complicating the matter.
The fight, which has received massive attention from boxing fans and casual viewers, was negatively received, with Tyson looking exhausted after the second round as he stopped engaging in the fight.
