Jake Paul defeated Tyron Woodley in knockout fashion during their pay-per-view fight at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. on Saturday night, but the nature of the knockout left many feeling suspicious.
Paul stopped Woodley in the sixth round of their cruiserweight bout with a devastating right-hand shot to the dome. Take a look.
.@jakepaul JUST PUT THE WOOD IN WOODLEY 😳
He scores the KO win in the 6th round to stay unbeaten 💥#PaulWoodley pic.twitter.com/kxr4rG0SNB
— All the Smoke Boxing (@atsboxing) December 19, 2021
Many on Twitter noticed though that Paul made a clear gesture with his right glove, appearing to turn it inwards just seconds before throwing the shot. That led to theories that he was giving a signal for Woodley to let his guard down at that moment.
y’all watch Jake Paul twist his right hand to give the signal to Woodley to let his guard down. issa setup 👀 pic.twitter.com/AXisnlcDWO
— Peacoat Papi (@AdisFBaby) December 19, 2021
Jake with that little right arm twist signal to Woodley #jakepaulvstyronwoodley #Woodley pic.twitter.com/kC3FCLhQ70
— Armz (@_Armz0) December 19, 2021
Jake Paul gave him the signal with the turned fist fyi https://t.co/TuD3WPZ95F
— hey yo (@John_E__) December 19, 2021
He dropped his arm and watch Jake hand signal – as soon as tyrone drops his hand 😒 🖕🏽 https://t.co/VLUT7mksE3
— Ar'mon And Trey (@armonandtrey) December 19, 2021
Others may argue however that Paul was simply making a incidental motion, which seemed more natural from other angles.
WHAT A SHOT. @jakepaul KOs Woodley in round 6 😳#PaulWoodley pic.twitter.com/oTV3xeNtfg
— All the Smoke Boxing (@atsboxing) December 19, 2021
But Paul, who had made the gesture even prior to the knockout sequence, may have been flashing the signal to Woodley multiple times to make sure they were on the same page. Another theory was that Woodley slapped his leg immediately before the knockout to acknowledge receipt of the signal.
3 second mark, Paul twists glove. 5 second mark Woodley taps leg to indicate he got the signal. Boom. #Dive https://t.co/PEj9ORQv8d
— Mark Freeman (@RealMarkFreeman) December 19, 2021
https://twitter.com/Joshugyan/status/1472444007846318081
Paul, who rose to fame as a YouTube star, is now a perfect 5-0 in his boxing career. But he has faced criticism from those who believe that his fights are scripted or take place against opponents who pose no real threat to him. This was Paul’s second time in a row beating Woodley. He manipulated the former MMA champion into getting a tattoo in order to be granted a lucrative rematch against him.
The 24-year-old Paul has had other emphatic knockout victories before. But Saturday’s win over Woodley may not be especially convincing for those who believe that he gave a hand signal to Woodley before his knockout punch.
