Tony Bellew was forcibly ejected from the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson press conference after crashing the event on Wednesday evening.
Clad in Paddy Power merchandise, the former WBC Cruiserweight World Champion delivered a rant at the YouTuber inside the Toyota Music Factory in Texas.
Tony Bellew hijacks Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson press conference and reveals Jake’s next opponent…#PaulTyson | 18+ GambleAware | @TonyBellew pic.twitter.com/8DHpDUdhnk
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) November 14, 2024
Shouting into a microphone, Bellew said: “Jake Paul, the biggest clown in boxing, I’ve got your next opponent here, Jake.”
He then revealed a shadowboxing older gentleman dressed in a boxing robe and gloves, both displaying Paddy Power branding.
Bellew continued: “This guy’s got two hips so he is ready for you, Jake. He’s a great grandfather and he’s ready for you. He’s 107, a great-grandfather. Come on Jake, give this fella a chance.”
The prank didn’t appear to have the desired effect, as Paul failed to notice the disturbance and combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani, who was conducting the press conference, repeatedly asked: “Is that Tony Bellew? It looks like Tony Bellew? Is that Tony Bellew?”.
The pair were then escorted from the press conference by security guards.
Paddy Power takes aim at Jake Paul
Paul has faced backlash, including from Tony Bellew, for fighting opponents significantly older than him during his eleven-fight boxing career. In the past, he has fought former MMA fighters Anderson Silva (47), Tyron Woodley (39) and Ben Askren (36).
His latest fight, scheduled for 15 November at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, will see him taking on a 58-year-old Tyson who last fought in a heavily criticised exhibition against Roy Jones Jr in 2020.
Earlier this week, in a precursor to the stunt, Paddy Power released a video on its social media channels showing Bellew ‘training’ a group of pensioners at a boxing gym.
In the video, he said: “I’ve been asked to scour the UK to find [Paul’s] next opponent and I think I have.
“Jake Paul is always on about fighting old lads and I was speaking to my nan the other day and she said there’s a right few hard nuts in her retirement home so I popped around to check them out.”
Is this a legitimate fight?
Despite being sanctioned by The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), the ruling body for combat sports in Texas, the fight is going to be contested over eight two-minute rounds using 14-ounce gloves, rather than three-minute rounds, and ten-ounce gloves – as used in a standard bout sanctioned by the TDLR and ABC Boxing.
These rule changes have raised questions over the legitimacy of the bout among state regulators in the US.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission held an open meeting to discuss the event. The regulators considered the arguments of Pennsylvania, Vermont and Colorado, which have all banned betting markets on the fight, taking the stance due to the “deviation from standard rules”.
After considering these positions, as well as the ones from states that have green-lit betting markets, the MGC decided to allow wagering on the event as it permits exhibition matches.
