Mike Tyson’s Rep Breaks Silence on $1.5 Million Lawsuit Over Alleged Breach of Contract

Mike Tyson‘s fifty-ninth professional bout ended in defeat. The former heavyweight champion suffered a seventh career loss on November 15. At the Cowboys Stadium, he faced 27-year-old Jake Paul for an eight-round special rules bout. Headlined by the Paul-Tyson showdown, the MVP-Netflix card proved a resounding success. Not only did it establish a new gate record, but it seemingly broke the ones for viewership as well. The fight nevertheless came under scrutiny. Whether in the lead-up to or after the fight, the match sparked widespread debate for various reasons.

In the latest development, a United Kingdom-based company called Medier, a promotional partner for Rabona, an online sports betting company, has filed a $1.5 million (£1.25 million) lawsuit against Tyson and his promotional company, Tyrannic, alleging a ‘breach of contract’. With increasing reports sharing the details about the lawsuit, Mike Tyson’s team got into action and registered a response.

Legal troubles for Mike Tyson

The lawsuit filed in London’s High Court by Medier claims that Tyson unlawfully terminated this contract in March 2024—the same day his fight with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul was announced—resulting in losses of approximately 1.5 million euros (around $1.59 million). According to Medier, Tyson reneged on a promotional agreement, purportedly to prioritize the Netflix-backed fight against Jake Paul. “The true reason for Mr. Tyson and Tyrannic’s hasty and unlawful termination was because Mr. Tyson had agreed [to] a deal, sponsored by Netflix, to fight the influencer Jake Paul,” read the statement from the company’s lawyer.

Tyson’s representatives have not yet filed a defense in court. However, Mike Tyson’s team asserted that Medier materially breached the terms of the license agreement on multiple occasions, justifying Tyson’s termination of the contract. This is what they said: “It is the company’s position that Medier, Ltd. materially breached the terms of its license agreement on multiple occasions and in various ways. As such, Tyrannic, LLC was well within its legal and contractual rights to terminate the license agreement for material breach in an effort to mitigate additional reputational harm to the Tyson brand.”

The event itself was not without controversy. The Netflix broadcast faced criticism for poor streaming quality. A ‘class-action lawsuit’ was reportedly filed, seeking damages of up to $50 million, due to interruptions that affected millions of viewers.

Questions Surrounding Fight Legitimacy

The fight, per se, has faced a steady stream of questions over its legitimacy. Post-fight statements from Jake Paul, where he shared his thoughts on not opting for a knockout against ‘Iron’ Mike, aroused a flurry of speculations.

Initially, rumors of the fight being ‘scripted’ circulated. However, it seems the notion didn’t gain much traction. Then talks about whether Jake Paul carried or went easy on Mike Tyson sparked an array of debates across social media and online platforms. To address the skepticism, Paul’s team later released an official statement denying any prearranged outcomes.

As the lawsuits proceed, the legal outcomes remain uncertain. Both fans and critics alike will have to wait to see how the situation unfolds in court.

What’s your take on the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight? Was it a spectacle worth watching, or did it fall short of expectations?