Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul Scripted? Shaquille O’Neal Lays Down Verdict After Knockout Ending

Former NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal was left disappointed after the Jake Paul-Anthony Joshua bout on Friday night.

Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul Scripted? Shaquille O’Neal Lays Down Verdict After Knockout Ending

Jake Paul (Left) and Anthony Joshua (Right), Shaquille O'Neal (inset) (Image credits - Firstsportz)

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Shaquille O’Neal was left unimpressed following the much-hyped boxing match between Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua at the Kaseya Center in Miami on Friday. Paul came into the bout on a six-match winning streak since suffering his lone loss to Tommy Fury in 2023. But on Friday night, Paul was handed his second defeat, his first by knockout, by former unified heavyweight champion Joshua.

Anthony Joshua needed six rounds to knock out the 28-year-old, as the match was believed by many to not live up to the hype, as Paul was criticised for not engaging in any combat and wasting time by dancing around the ring. The two-time World Champion, now 36, did knock down the YouTuber twice in the fifth round before landing a clean right-hand blow in the sixth round.

It is no secret that former NBA star and Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, who is well known for being critical of modern-day NBA players, is an avid fan of combat sports. The four-time NBA Champion was left dissatisfied with the bout and dismissed the allegations that the fight was scripted.

There have been several accusations in the last few years that all of Paul’s matches have been fixed. An alleged script was leaked before the bout on Friday as well. But all those allegations have been put to rest after the knockout blow and reports claiming that Paul ended up with a broken jaw.

Fans react to Shaquille O’Neal’s social media post about the fight

Several fans were left amused at the NBA legend’s social media post, with many doubting that Joshua was “too nice” with Paul during the fight. Here are some of the reactions:

Shaquille O’Neal has turned down Dwight Howard’s challenge to a bout

O’Neal and former three-time Defensive Player of the Year and NBA Champion Dwight Howard have had their fair share of exchanges over the last few years. It started when Howard began calling himself “Superman”, which did not go down well with O’Neal as the name was given to him. The dominant center went as far as getting the nickname tattooed and labelling himself as the “Real Superman”. This led to a beef between the two former NBA stars on social media.

Dwight Howard and Shaquille O'Neal
Dwight Howard (Left) and Shaquille O’Neal (Right) (Image credits – Los Angeles Times)

Last year, the two reignited their beef on social media when Howard challenged O’Neal to a boxing match. O’Neal denied the challenge because Howard had only one ring, and O’Neal wanted his opponent to have more than one.

It was a beef that was going on since 2008, and the two have taken shots at each other on social media over the years. But they recently squashed their animosity towards each other when Howard made an appearance on “The Big Podcast with Shaq” earlier this year.

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