Sylvester Stallone apologises to Jake Paul over cheeky 'Oscar-winning Mike Tyson performance' claim

Sylvester Stallone has switched up his thoughts on the recent Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson fight and apologised to the YouTuber-turned-boxer who won the bout.

Earlier this month, Paul defeated the 58-year-old boxing legend in a unanimous decision after the pair fought in eight two-minute-long rounds at AT&T Stadium in Texas, where it was also live-streamed on Netflix.

It was considered a controversial clash given the 31-year age gap between Tyson and Paul, and while the 27-year-old came out on top, Stallone thought otherwise as the Hollywood legend took to Instagram to express his support for Tyson.

“Just to set my personal record straight,” Stallone wrote, alongside snaps of him with Tyson.

“Business is business. SOMETIMES you have to do hard things and sacrifice for the sake of helping your FAMILY…. I have known this unbelievable athlete since [he was] 19 years old and what we saw was him giving one of the great Oscar winning performances of all time!!!!

“Please, Jake, be grateful, HE SPARED YOUR LIFE! Trust me …..Keep punching Mike, there will never be a MAN like you, a GLADIATOR like you, and a SOUL like you! Keep punching champion of champions!"

He added: “I remember once I bumped into him and thought I was hit by runaway BULLDOZER!!!”

It didn't take long for the post to go viral and it soon got Paul's attention, who slammed Stallone for his words.

“Always looked up to you as kid, but now you are a spreader of lies against my name. Sad to see you fall. Maybe it’s all the plastic surgery," he wrote.

L-R) Jake Paul announced as winner against Mike Tyson during LIVE On Netflix: Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium on November 15, 2024 in Arlington, TexasAl Bello/Getty Images for Netflix

After five days passed, Stallone then edited his post where he backtracked on his original thoughts and apologised to Paul.

"Just to set my personal record straight … upon Second, viewing the best man won that night. My apologies. Keep punching," his new caption read.

But now the post has been deleted altogether.

Meanwhile, in recent days, the fight's promotor has been dismissing claims that the bout between Paul and Tyson was rigged.

Nakisa Bidarian, who co-founded Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) with Paul said: "This is not the first time Jake Paul has faced unfounded skepticism or outright disbelief as a professional athlete, and frankly, the claim that his bout must have been rigged is just the latest backhanded compliment to come his way."

Elsewhere, UFC icon promises to fight Jake Paul after calling out Conor McGregor and Jake Paul reveals biggest regret from Mike Tyson fight.

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