The Big Aristotle has been silent since the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul bout. Clearly, the outcome wasn’t what he was expecting. There was a monetary loss on top of that as well. If he wasn’t joking about it, Shaquille O’Neal had wagered $1 million on Mike Tyson winning the fight. Before the heavyweight bout at AT&T Stadium, Shaq also revealed that he was there to watch Tyson “whoop some a-s.” While he wasn’t able to witness that, a few hours later, he was spotted enjoying on stage with Tyson’s rival, Jake Paul.
Right after witnessing the bout, O’Neal took off for his DJ adventures as part of the first night of his Bass All-Stars music festival at Panther Island Pavilion in Dallas-Fort Worth. Joining him on stage as a special guest was Paul, who shared the spotlight with the Lakers legend. The two were seen enjoying the vibes, jumping to the beats. One of the managers captured the moment on his IG Story, sharing a glimpse of Shaq performing for the enthusiastic and energetic crowd.
A clip of the duo on stage was later shared on the official IG page of Shaq’s Bass All-Star Festival. While Papa John’s Pizza is often seen being passed around at Shaq’s concerts or musical events, this time there was a new, sweeter addition.
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With his recent partnership with Hershey’s, O’Neal introduced “Shaq-a-licious” to an excited crowd. The festival was a massive hit last year with 15,000 attendees. This year, it saw 90% of tickets sold out shortly after the announcement.
Like last year, Shaq kept his word by performing, while a lineup of famed artists joined him. In one of the stories shared on IG, O’Neal was seen having fun and vibing with Space Laces. Eptic, Celo, Peekaboo, Dimension, Grabbitz, Perry Wayne, Rated R, Stoned Level, Kozmoz, Space Wizard, Muerte, and Sora were also in attendance.
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Shaq partying with Jake Paul after losing a bet—loyalty or just good sportsmanship?
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It might be safe to assume that this year’s festival will also be a hit. And we hope that this success numbs Shaquille O’Neal‘s pain from losing his money earlier.
Shaquille O’Neal loses big in Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul bout
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Like the entire sports world, the Los Angeles Lakers legend was eagerly looking forward to the bout. Dubbed “Iron Mike,” the boxing legend with an impressive 50-win record was back in action. The hype was understandable. However, he was up against Jake Paul, a fighter half his age. While this raised doubts, Shaq confidently cheered for Tyson.
During his appearance at the Dan Patrick Show before the bout, an excited O’Neal shared that he will be “placing one (bet) this weekend. Mike Tyson baby. All the way.” When asked about the amount, he mentioned that he bet $1 million. He usually doesn’t like to bet but this bout was a special one.
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It was certainly an enthusiastic display from O’Neal. Despite fighting hard against Paul, however, Tyson lost in an eight-round heavyweight match. The judges scored it unanimously in Paul’s favor, 80-72, 79-73, and 79-73.
As the stories and posts from the music festival show, Shaq seems to have gotten over the loss already. Now, he is only focused on giving EDM fans what they came for.
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Shaq partying with Jake Paul after losing a bet—loyalty or just good sportsmanship?