"Boxing has a lot of fishy dealings" - Israel Adesanya weighs in on possible 'bribe' taken by Tyron Woodley to not KO Jake Paul in the first fight
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya weighed in on speculation that Tyron Woodley accepted a bribe to refrain from knocking out Jake Paul.
During their initial encounter in August, Woodley had Paul hurt when he landed a massive right that sent the YouTuber stumbling into the ropes. However, Woodley failed to capitalize on the opening and allowed Paul to recover, leading many to believe there was a "no-knockout clause" in Woodley's contract.
However, Adesanya doesn't believe Woodley would ever take a bribe to protect Paul. Then again, 'The Last Stylebender' acknowledged that there have been several instances of shady practice in professional boxing. In an episode of his YouTube show, Adesanya said:
"I think [Tyron] Woodley... I don't think his pride is big enough to take something like that, like a bribe to not knock out Jake Paul. But who knows? This is boxing. It's not MMA. Boxing has a lot of fishy dealings. I mean, I don't want to see the fight again, I wanna see Jake fight Tommy [Fury] or, you know, like another legit boxer."
Check out Israel Adesanya's breakdown of Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley:
'The Problem Child' ultimately regained control of the fight and outworked the former UFC welterweight champ in the remaining rounds. In the end, Paul defeated Woodley via a split decision, improving his professional record to 4-0.
Tyron Woodley admits he chose not to KO Jake Paul
Tyron Woodley finally broke his silence and spoke about his decision not to go after Jake Paul. 'The Chosen One' admitted that he indeed decided against going for the finish, but not because of a bribe or no-knockout clause.
According to Woodley, a shoulder injury he suffered prevented him from finishing Paul when he had the opportunity to do so. In a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Woodley revealed:
"My shoulder was f***ing sore. I ain’t going to lie.I wanted to [stop Jake Paul], but my shoulder was swollen before the fight and I was just kind of swinging on pure thug energy from MMA, not just giving a hell."
Tyron Woodley talks about his rematch with Jake Paul:
Paul and Woodley are gearing up for a rematch scheduled for December 18 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. The YouTube sensation was originally preparing for a matchup against Tommy Fury, who pulled out of the fight due to a "bacterial chest infection" and a "broken rib."