A wild conspiracy theory has circulated on social media claiming that Jake Paul and Tyron Woodley were in cahoots about the fight-ending KO.
The two boxed on December 18, 2021, in a Showtime PPV main event. It was a rematch from a fight that happened a few months prior. “The Problem Child” defeated Woodley in their first match via split decision and on Saturday night, he silenced the former UFC welterweight champion with a savage sixth-round KO.
But some fans aren’t convinced that the KO was legitimate.
Now, of course, fixing a professional sporting event like this is highly illegal, and there is no evidence that there was any sort of collusion between the two fighters to fix the outcome of the match.
But, that hasn’t stopped some from thinking that there was foul play. According to the theory circulating on social media, The Problem Child made a gesture with his right hand and arm to Woodley seconds before Paul threw the KO punch. The theory then claims that once “The Chosen One” saw the hand gesture, he knew to drop his guard to allow Paul to land the punishing overhand right.
Here are a few tweets from fans sharing the moment and the conspiracy.
One Twitter user wrote: “Y’all watch Jake Paul twist his right hand to give the signal to Woodley to let his guard down. issa setup.” Watch the video below:
y’all watch Jake Paul twist his right hand to give the signal to Woodley to let his guard down. issa setup 👀
Another wrote: “Jake Paul gave him the signal with the turned fist fyi.”
“Jake with that little right arm twist signal to Woodley,” another tweeted.
Jake with that little right arm twist signal to Woodley #jakepaulvstyronwoodley #Woodley
Here’s another:
In reality, Paul feinted to drop Woodley’s guard, and then he came over with the right, which knocked out the 39-year-old fighting veteran.
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Woodley Is Frustrated With Himself for Dropping His Guard
Speaking during the post-fight press conference, Woodley reiterated that he was in shape for the match, even though he took it on two weeks’ notice. The Chosen One then revealed his frustration with himself.
“I went back and looked at it, and I’m like, why the f*** did I drop my hand,” Woodley said. “I had both hands up. I was ready. I knew it was coming. I was ready to block the overhand.”
He said that in boxing, it only takes one mistake the pay the ultimate price. Woodley also confirmed that he isn’t retiring from combat sports despite the devastating loss.
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Paul Is Now 5-0 as a Professional Boxer
The Problem Child is now 5-0 as a professional boxer, which includes four wins by KO/TKO. Besides two wins over Woodley, he also holds a TKO win over former ONE and Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren, a KO victory over NBA point guard Nate Robinson and a TKO of YouTuber AnEsonGib.
It’s unclear who Paul will take on next. He was supposed to box Tommy Fury on Saturday night, however the undefeated boxer pulled out of the match after suffering a broken rib.
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Fans Think Jake Paul Gave Secret Hand Signal to Woodley Before KO