“World Champions of what?” – Remember when Noah Lyles caused quite a stir on social media with his unusual take on the NBA’s World Champion status? Even though the 27-year-old had clinched 3 world titles at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, the spotlight had completely shifted from his stunning accomplishments to the controversy. While the sprinter hasn’t been able to escape the backlash from the incident, he’s found himself in hot water again.

In one of the most anticipated events, Jake Paul faced off against Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium on November 15. Surprised to see Iron Mike back in the ring? Many were, considering the former undisputed heavyweight champion had long since retired. However, Tyson decided to take on one final challenge—and Netflix made it a reality. Most Valuable Promotions joined forces with the streaming giant to bring this headline event to life. But not everyone was thrilled about it, including one notable Olympian.

The co-main event had all of Noah Lyles’ attention

While the world waited to watch the pièce de résistance of the night, the third fight of the night grabbed several eyeballs. The undisputed super lightweight champion Katie Taylor returned to the ring to battle it out with her old nemesis Amanda ‘The Real Deal‘ Serrano. Even though the former successfully defended her title, Noah Lyles felt otherwise. When Amanda Serrano disagreed with the results on X, the sprinter backed her up. “I’m very new to boxing so idk how it works but it looked like to me you definitely won,” he confessed. 

The last time they locked horns was back in 2022 at Madison Square Garden. They etched themselves in history for the first-ever female match to headline at the location and being sold out. How did it end? Katie Taylor won by a narrow split decision, and both the boxers won The Ring’s Event of the Year and Sports Illustrated’s Fight of the Year for 2022. The match on November 15 was the first time they faced off since then. 

However, this wasn’t an ordinary match. It happened to be one of the most brutal boxing matches in modern history. In the final round, Taylor landed a right and left. Yet, Serrano didn’t let up as easily. In fact, the Irish boxer had a point deduction because she headbutted her competitor twice during the fight. By the end of the nail-biter, Taylor defended her Super Lightweight title by winning the bout 95-94, reigniting their rivalry.

Noah Lyles definitely enjoyed watching the much-anticipated bout. “By far the most entertaining match last night. Me and my fiancé are new fans!” he told Serrano. She looked forward to redeeming herself from the 2022 bout at Madison Square Garden. But unfortunately, history repeated itself, and she had to accept her fate. The thrilling fight made for an exciting watch. Yet several fans weren’t too pleased by the Olympian’s honest take. What did they say?

Fans pulled out pitchforks after the sprinter voiced his opinion

No one would forget November 15. It will forever be etched in the history of sports. Not only did we witness a blood-soaked battle between two powerful women, but we also got to see Mike Tyson back in the ring. However, for a non-boxing fan like the 27-year-old, this was nothing short of thrilling. Yet, fans didn’t look at it that way.

One fan stated, “I mean come on man, first you say you dont know s**t but then give your half baked take, kinda stupid if you ask me.” There’s nothing wrong with being a new fan, but hard-core fans didn’t think his opinion made sense. Another fan seemed to agree. “So you start off saying you don’t know how it works, but then still go on to say how you think it should have been judged? 🤨” It’s evident that the Olympian had hit a nerve. 

Both the boxers fought valiantly. In fact, up until the end, it seemed like it would be real close. When the scorecards were being read out, many assumed a draw would be the best result. Unfortunately, that’s now how things panned out. Shortly after the fight, Serrano admitted that even though she went up three divisions as a featherweight, the results wouldn’t be fair if the judges had to decide.

A fan blatantly pointed out, “Hey, I don’t know how the 100m works, but I think Thompson ran a better race so let’s give him the gold anyway. Am I doing this right?” The dust may have settled on the grandeur and magic of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Yet, it still seems to be a talking point months later. 

Noah Lyles had warned the world that he would clinch several Olympic golds in the French capital. However, the reigning world champion locked horns with the world’s fastest man and his fiercest rival, Kishane Thompson. Dubbed the pre-race favorite, the Jamaican held a great lead from the get-go. But the 27-year-old pulled off a photo-finish victory from behind. Crossing the finish line in 9.784 seconds, the American edged out Thompson by five-thousandths of a second. This fan surely decided to turn the tables by comparing his win to that.

One fan confessed, “We dont gaf about u anymore.” The Olympian is known for being straightforward and boisterous. On the other hand, this fan seems to be over the sprinter. But another fan simply asked, “Why won’t you face Tyreek?“ After his NBA dig from last year re-emerged this season, Tyreek Hill seemed to take offense to the statement too. 

Shortly after, the Miami Dolphins wide receiver challenged Noah Lyles to a 50-yard dash. Yet, this didn’t sit with the sprinter. No, it isn’t because he doesn’t want to race the athlete. The Olympian is up for the challenge. However, he would only do it if it was a full 100m race with “no gimmicks.” So even though this fan believes it won’t happen, this has been brewing for quite some time now. The 27-year-old had already clarified that boxing is not his thing. But do you agree with the fans and believe he should have kept his opinions to himself?