Jake Paul’s manager sets record straight on Anthony Joshua fight fixing allegations

Jake Paul’s manager, Nakisa Bidarian, has shot down claims that his client’s upcoming clash with Anthony Joshua is ‘scripted’.

The YouTuber-turned-boxer has faced baseless accusations throughout his 12-1 professional boxing career that his fights are ‘fixed’.

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Online conspiracies came to a head before his bout with Tommy Fury in 2023, when a supposed script circulated on social media with exact round-by-round instructions for the bout.

The document stated that Paul would win via a dramatic last-gasp knockout.

In reality, Paul would lose the bout on points.

Despite these allegations being disproved time and time again, it hasn’t dissuaded waves of fans from branding Paul’s upcoming clash with Anthony Joshua on December 19 a ‘fake fight’.

Calls of foul play have got so loud, in fact, that Bidarian was forced to address them on the Ariel Helwani Show on Monday.

What did Nakisa Bidarian say about fight-fixing allegations?

“I think it speaks to how incredibly impressive Jake Paul‘s accomplishments are that no matter what event it is [people think it is scripted],” said Bidarian.

“Even though he lost to Tommy Fury via split decision, even that was scripted, some people said.

“My dear friend Mike Perry put out a script of how that fight would go and how Jake was going to beat Tommy Fury.

“And for people to say that these fighters are taking paydays, I guess Tommy Fury must be the only truly noble athlete in the world – as we saw from the conduct of his father, John Fury – that didn’t take a massive payday to follow a script.

“The reality is it is absolutely ridiculous, it is illegal, it is a federal crime.

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“In Jake’s 13 fights to date, the only time there has ever been any variation of true professional boxing with the highest level of integrity is when he fought Mike Tyson.

“We agreed to two-minute rounds rather than three for the benefit of Mike Tyson, and we agreed to 14oz gloves.

“Both of those were clear, public, and we got the commission to agree to still make it a professional fight, which meant they could go at it 100 per cent.”

It isn’t just Paul’s team that has rubbished fight-fixing claims.

Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, also came out and defended the legitimacy of the contest during a recent interview with The Sun.

“I’ve heard people say, ‘I bet there’s something in the contract where you have to take it easy on him’,” said Hearn.

“I mean, don’t be so ridiculous. Can you imagine? Also, by the way, that’s illegal. It’s a professional contest.

“You can’t have an agreement about how a fight’s gonna go, that’s called fixing.”