Jake Paul claimed he took it easy on Mike Tyson after defeating the 58-year-old in their highly anticipated fight.
In a press conference after the big event — which was livestreamed on Netflix Friday night — the YouTuber-turned boxer said he purposefully backed off Tyson in the third round after noticing the former heavyweight was struggling to keep up.
“I wanted to give the fans a show, but I didn’t want to hurt someone that didn’t need to be hurt,” the 27-year-old told reporters.
When asked if he felt any of Tyson’s powerful punches in the ring, Paul claimed he didn’t feel the typical force that the boxing legend has become known for.
But the young fighter also claimed “no one’s punches have really hurt.”
Fans began booing the contenders in the final rounds of their face-off despite Paul’s efforts to put on a show.
He blamed the lack of entertainment on Tyson “just surviving” in the ring.
“I couldn’t really get him to engage me or slip shots and do something super cool or whatever, but I don’t care about what people have to say,” Paul said.
“They’re always going to have something to say and that it is what it is.”
Paul defeated Tyson by a unanimous decision in their publicized boxing match.
A number of stars were in attendance to watch the fight, including Charlize Theron, Joe Jonas, Shaquille O’Neal, Cedric the Entertainer, Rosie Perez, Jerry Jones, Roy Jones Jr., Rob Gronkowski and more.
