Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson is facing a $1.5 million lawsuit filed by a Cyprus-based company, according to a recent court filing.
Medier, a promoter for betting company Rabona, has filed a lawsuit in London’s High Court against Tyson and his company Tyrannic. The suit alleges that Tyson wrongfully terminated a promotional contract signed in January in favor of a fight with social media influencer Jake Paul.
“The true reason for Mr. Tyson and Tyrannic’s hasty and unlawful termination was because Mr. Tyson had agreed a deal, sponsored by Netflix, to fight the influencer Jake Paul,” the lawsuit states, as reported by The Associated Press.
Medier is seeking the return of more than $800,000 in fees paid to Tyson “in return for which no services were provided” and an additional $729,000 for “wasted production and promotion costs.”
This lawsuit comes in the wake of Tyson’s recent fight with Paul, which took place last month at AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, in front of 70,000 fans. The fight was streamed live on Netflix and reportedly earned Tyson $20 million.
The 58-year-old Tyson, who had not fought in a sanctioned professional fight since 2005, lost to the 27-year-old Paul in an eight-round unanimous decision.
Tyson’s legal team contends that Medier breached the contract by failing to obtain Tyson’s approval for promotional materials.
Tyson, who was the undisputed heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990, has faced numerous controversies and legal challenges throughout his life, with the recent legal dispute adding to the list.
The fight with Paul, while financially lucrative, received mixed reviews from boxing enthusiasts and critics alike. A YouTuber-turned-boxer, Paul has been steadily building his boxing career but has mainly faced retired athletes and non-boxers.
He said the fight will likely be one for the memory books.
“There may never be another moment like this in boxing, but I believe we can find something,” Paul said. “And I think there are a few names out there that make sense, that the events will be just as big.”
His fight with Tyson was the first live sports event on Netflix. The streaming giant reported that the fight was viewed in 60 million households.
Despite the lackluster performance, Tyson praised Paul’s abilities after the match.
“He’s a very good fighter,” Tyson said after judges scored the fight 80 to 72 on one scorecard and 79 to 73 on the other two.
