Why some fans are convinced Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul heavyweight fight was 'rigged'
Some fans reckon Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul's heavyweight fight on Friday night was 'rigged'.
At the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on Friday (December 19), the British professional boxer claimed the victory after six rounds, during which Joshua knocked down the YouTuber-turned-boxer several times across various three-minute rounds.
The bout got off to a somewhat rocky start, as neither appeared to land any blows, and Paul could be seen skirting around the edges of the ring.
Yet in the end, the 36-year-old two-time heavyweight boxing champion put an end to the fight in the sixth round, and left Paul with a suspected broken jaw.
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However, some viewers haven't been so convinced by the authenticity of the fight, especially considering many thought it would be an easy win for Joshua due to his ability, experience and size compared to his opponent.
Now, Paul has been accused of being behind yet another 'rigged' fight.
"One of the guys ringside signaled to Paul that it was good to take his dive," said one viewer on X, formerly 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?", said another.
During the fight, others said there appeared to be plenty of opportunities given to Joshua to strike that never happened.
"Not my normally scheduled tweet but Anthony Joshua could have knocked Jake Paul out 4 times there. This is clearly rigged," a third wrote.
"Yeah this isn’t a real fight. Anthony Joshua should be ashamed," another weighed in. "This is getting embarrassing for Anthony Joshua," said a fifth.
On the other hand, others said they didn't feel the event was staged, as one pointed out the fight appeared to last longer 'because Paul wouldn't fight'.
That, and Paul's injuries, were blatantly obvious by the end as he could be 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," one fan pointed out.
Another echoed: "Jake Paul could die in the ring and people would still say it’s rigged."
The claims come amid Paul's confession that he had his 'a** beat'.
The American stated: "Anthony's a great fighter, I got my ass beat, but that's what this sport's about.
"I think my jaw is broken by the way.
"Yeah, it’s definitely broke. 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 that his jaw was broken in two places, writing on X: "Double broken jaw. Give me Canelo in 10 days," with images of an X-ray of his injury.
Meanwhile, Joshua said 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.
"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," he concluded.
The accusations aren't anything new for Paul, who faced similar claims following the star's fight with Mike Tyson last year, which Most Valuable Promotions strongly denied.
Topics: Anthony Joshua, Jake Paul, Boxing, Social Media
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