On November 15th, 2024, the boxing legend Mike Tyson faced off against Jake Paul in an eight-round bout that left the audience disappointed with its conclusion. It was streamed on Netflix with over 108 million global viewers watching 27 year old Jake Paul take on the 58 year old boxing legend. With the fight resulting in an uninteresting split-decision victory for Paul, many viewers were left disgruntled, surprised, and angered. Many audiences and critics accused the bout being fixed due to Mike Tyson’s abnormal levels of inactivity in the fight, causing the public to question the extent of legitimacy not just in boxing but combat sports as a whole. Looking at power dynamics between combat sports promotions, corruption/mistreatment of fighters within professional combat sports, and even possible effects on political schemes, martial arts are quickly spiraling out of control and away from their original principles.
Jake Paul, an internet star and now professional boxer, is known for his presence on social networks. Specifically as a boxer, Jake Paul has contributed to the sport’s growing commercialization rather than promoting genuine athleticism and skill; his approach often centers on spectacle over substance, using social media fame and controversial antics to draw attention rather than earn victories in the ring. By focusing on large pay-per-view events against celebrities or unqualified opponents, Paul diminishes the sport’s credibility, prioritizing financial gain over the integrity of boxing.
His frequent self-promotion and exaggerated claims of being a top fighter undermine the achievements of seasoned professionals who have spent years honing their craft such as his claim that a fight against himself and a younger, prime Mike Tyson would have had the same result. Moreover, his involvement has led to an influx of non-boxers attempting to capitalize on the trend, further distorting the true nature of the sport. While Paul has undeniably brought new audiences to boxing, his actions often overshadow the hard work and discipline required to succeed, creating a skewed and superficial image of the sport.
The Mike Tyson versus Jake Paul bout is not the first example of a “superfight” that happened in the sport of boxing, with fans and critics frequently expressing how the fights are nothing more than just money grabs. Some notable examples include Floyd Mayweather’s fight with the UFC’s MMA star Connor McGregor on August 26th, 2017, with Mayweather earning $280 million and McGregor earning $130 million. With such drastic stylistic differences between MMA and Boxing, the winner was quite obvious from the start, with the bout being a 10 round boxing match between a professional boxer who was 49 – 0 at the time and an MMA fighter who had only properly focused on training as a boxer for a few months.
The devolution of martial arts in general can also be seen through the poor judging that occurs too frequently nowadays. In most bouts, at least three judges are tasked with scoring the match with criteria such as aggression and landing significant strikes. It is understandable that judges can make mistakes in scoring rounds, as fights are commonly razor close, and judges are often required to score in a venue full of screaming spectators. However, as of recent times for the sport of boxing, there have been instances of incredibly poor judging where an obvious decision turns into awarding the loser of a bout a loss.
This is where the term “robbery” arises, applying to all combat sports with a judging system. A robbery is when the winner of a bout loses a decision due to incredibly poor judging, meaning that despite the fact that they might have won the fight in an obvious fashion, the loser of the bout is awarded the victory. There are a multitude of reasons as to why this issue has begun to plague combat sports as a whole, severely impacting the experiences of both fighters and audiences.
Like all kinds of judging in sports, judging in professional martial arts is naturally subjective in nature. Due to the subjective nature of judging in close fights, the “wrong” fighter is occasionally declared the winner, especially when the fight is very close and can go either way. This perception of being “robbed” is particularly prevalent due to the high stakes and passionate fan bases in combat sports. Of course, with this in mind, the combat sports fan base naturally throws the term “robbery” around when a fight does not go the way they intended.
With combat sports generating a majority of their revenue through viewers placing bets from sponsored betting sites, the stakes behind fights are taken to the next level simply through the fact that there is money involved. Although there is a common misconception in combat sports that “not every close fight that goes to a decision is a robbery,” poor judging in MMA and boxing has become painfully obvious over the last 10 years of professional combat sports broadcasts, to the point that even the presidents and commentary teams of their respective organizations have expressed their displeasure with judging as a whole.
In addition, judges in combat sports who have a history of making questionable decisions are often accused of bribery. Some bouts were shown to be biased due to the location where the fight occurred or even based on bets that they might have made for themselves. Addressing these points, fighters from different parts of the world compete against each other every time a competition is hosted. With individuals in crowds naturally supporting the fighter from the same country that they are from, the simple fact that a crowd is cheering for one fighter more than another may influence judges’ scoring as well.
The possible solutions that critics have come up with to combat the corrupt nature of combat sports judging are notable for their simplicity, raising questions as to why such measures have not been integrated into judging systems yet. For example, the simple act of having judges explain their scorecards upon being asked to do so is a simple measure that can be a game-changer for judging as a whole, as judges would actually need their reasoning behind certain choices to make sense.
Unfortunately, corruption does not stop at judging. In the last few decades, mixed martial arts has grown to become a mainstream sport, broadcasted worldwide. The increased commercialization, structure, and physical requirements of the sport arguably make the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PED) attractive to MMA and boxing fighters. In contrast, cultural aspects within MMA and boxing creating diverse expressions of masculinity may temper PED use. Yet, the sport has received little empirical inquiry.
The use of steroids or other PEDs in sports has been a longstanding controversial issue due to the benefits given to athletes, but the classification of performance-enhancing drugs is not limited to the use of anabolic steroids. PEDs are classified pretty vaguely as anything that can enhance an individual’s performance can be considered one, but the difference between cheating or not depends on the tolerance of certain organizations for certain compounds or the amount of a particular compound.
The incentive to use performance enhancing drugs in most sports is usually due to a certain competitive spirit, peer pressure, and the amount of money one can earn. Certain athletes may do whatever it takes to win whether or not it is fair since some viewers just don’t care about the rules or in some cases are subject to their coaching staff’s competitive spirit.
The issue of performance-enhancing drugs paired with the corruption in judging in martial arts is a multifaceted challenge that underscores the tension between the sport’s commercialization, athlete pressure, and the inherent desire for competitive success. While the increasing prominence of MMA and boxing on the world stage may increase the temptation for fighters to turn to PEDs, the sport’s unique cultural dynamics and different expressions of masculinity may act as counterbalances to widespread use.
Nevertheless, the ambiguity surrounding the classification of PEDs, together with the competitive nature of athletes and the potential for coercion or ignorance regarding banned substances, complicates efforts to effectively combat doping. The lack of extensive empirical research in this area further underscores the need for more in-depth studies to fully understand the prevalence, impact and long-term consequences of PED use in MMA and boxing. Only through continued investigation, education and the application of stricter anti-doping measures can the integrity of the sport be preserved.