Some fans are suggesting that the heavyweight fight between Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul on Friday night was ‘rigged’.
The match took place at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on Friday (December 19). The British professional boxer, Anthony Joshua, emerged victorious after six rounds, during which he knocked down Jake Paul, the YouTuber-turned-boxer, multiple times over several three-minute rounds.
The fight started somewhat uneventfully, with neither fighter landing significant blows, and Paul appeared to stay on the perimeter of the ring.
Ultimately, the 36-year-old two-time heavyweight boxing champion concluded the fight in the sixth round, leaving Paul with a suspected broken jaw.
Despite the outcome, some viewers are skeptical about the fight’s authenticity, especially since many anticipated an easy win for Joshua due to his superior skill, experience, and size compared to Paul.
This has led to accusations that Jake Paul is involved in another ‘rigged’ fight.
“One of the guys ringside signaled to Paul that it was good to take his dive,” commented a viewer on X, formerly known as Twitter. “That was one of the most rigged fights I’ve ever seen.”
“We as a society need to leave these Jake Paul fights in 2025 because these shots be so fake and rigged. How is Anthony Joshua who’s a former heavyweight champion looking like a bum rn?”, expressed another viewer.
Some spectators noted that Joshua appeared to have numerous opportunities to strike that he did not take during the fight.
“Not my normally scheduled tweet but Anthony Joshua could have knocked Jake Paul out 4 times there. This is clearly rigged,” mentioned another viewer.
Another weighed in with, “Yeah this isn’t a real fight. Anthony Joshua should be ashamed,” while another added, “This is getting embarrassing for Anthony Joshua.”
Conversely, some argued that the event wasn’t staged, noting that the fight seemed prolonged because Paul avoided engaging.
By the end, Paul’s injuries were evident as he was seen spitting blood.
“People will do absolutely anything to justify their own absurd conspiracy theories instead of just admitting they were wrong. Jake Paul went 6 rounds with Anthony Joshua, plain and simple. Rigged fights don’t end with broken jaws and teeth,” a fan noted.
Another echoed, “Jake Paul could die in the ring and people would still say it’s rigged.”
These claims arise amid Paul’s admission that he had his ‘a** beat’.
In his statement, Paul said, “Anthony’s a great fighter, I got my ass beat, but that’s what this sport’s about.”
He continued, “I think my jaw is broken by the way. Yeah, it’s definitely broken. But man, that was good. A nice little a** whipping from one of the best to ever do it. I love this, so I’m going to come back and get a world championship belt at some point.”
Paul later confirmed his jaw was broken in two places, sharing on X, “Double broken jaw. Give me Canelo in 10 days,” along with images of an X-ray of his injury.
Meanwhile, Joshua remarked that it wasn’t ‘the best performance’ on his part.
“The end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him. That has been the request leading up. That was on my mind,” he explained.
“It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand finally found the destination. Jake Paul – he’s done really well tonight. I want to give him his props. He got up time and time again. It takes a real man to do that,” Joshua concluded.
This isn’t the first time Paul has faced such accusations, as similar claims were made following his fight with Mike Tyson last year, which Most Valuable Promotions strongly denied.