STWF Sports | Nov. 25, 2025 – Jake Paul’s manager, Nakisa Bidarian, has emphatically dismissed growing accusations that the YouTuber-turned-boxer’s upcoming clash with former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is “scripted.”
As Paul prepares for the biggest fight of his 12-1 professional career on December 19, the noise around him is as loud as ever. For years, pockets of boxing fans have insisted the influencer’s bouts are “fixed”—claims that crescendoed before his 2023 showdown with Tommy Fury, when a fake, round-by-round “script” went viral online.
That “leaked” document predicted Paul would knock out Fury dramatically in the final round. Instead, Paul lost by split decision—yet conspiracy theories survived the outcome. And now, ahead of a fight most consider to be the biggest risk of his career, they’ve resurfaced with new intensity.
On Monday, Bidarian addressed the controversies directly during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, calling the accusations not only absurd but criminal.
Bidarian: “It’s absolutely ridiculous… and a federal crime.”
“I think it speaks to how incredibly impressive Jake Paul’s accomplishments are that no matter what event it is, people think it is scripted,” Bidarian said.
“Even when he lost to Tommy Fury, people said that was scripted. My dear friend Mike Perry put out a fake script of how that fight would go—how Jake was going to beat Tommy Fury—and people still believed it.”
Bidarian didn’t mince words about the legal reality of what Paul’s critics routinely accuse him of.
“The reality is it is absolutely ridiculous. It is illegal. It is a federal crime,” he said. “In Jake’s 13 fights to date, the only time there has ever been any variation from true professional boxing with full integrity was when he fought Mike Tyson.”
Bidarian referenced that Paul-Tyson event featured two-minute rounds and 14oz gloves, accommodations made specifically for Tyson and approved transparently by the athletic commission.
“That was public, agreed upon, and still sanctioned as a professional fight,” he emphasized. “There has never been anything close to fixing.”
Eddie Hearn backs Paul’s camp: “Don’t be ridiculous.”
The criticism hasn’t come solely from Paul’s detractors. Even Joshua’s promoter, Matchroom Boxing chairman Eddie Hearn, took the rare step of defending Paul’s camp.
“I’ve heard people say, ‘I bet there’s something in the contract where you have to take it easy on him,’” Hearn told The Sun.
“Don’t be so ridiculous. That’s illegal. It’s a professional contest. You can’t have an agreement about how a fight’s going to go. That’s called fixing.”
Hearn has previously been critical of influencer boxing as a whole, but he has been clear: this fight is real, it’s sanctioned, and Joshua is preparing as if he’s facing a live threat.
A massive fight—and massive skepticism
Paul vs. Joshua has already been billed as one of the most unusual—and commercially intriguing—boxing events in recent history.
Joshua, a career heavyweight, will be forced to weigh in no heavier than 245 pounds, a contractual stipulation from Paul’s side meant to narrow the physical gap. Paul, a natural cruiserweight, has only boxed once as a heavyweight—against a 58-year-old Mike Tyson last year.
Meanwhile, Paul’s power and improving fundamentals continue to spark intrigue, even among skeptics. His lone loss came against a legitimate boxer in Fury, and since then he has delivered explosive performances against a mix of MMA veterans and crossover athletes.
The December 19 matchup promises enormous attention—and enormous scrutiny.
But Bidarian’s message is simple: the fight is real, the stakes are real, and so is Paul’s rise.
With accusations swirling and the spotlight brighter than ever, Paul finds himself in a familiar position: doubted, dismissed, and yet again the subject of wild conspiracies.
But if Bidarian and Hearn are to be believed, everything about this fight is legitimate.
And come December 19, Paul will have the chance to silence the skeptics in the only place that matters:
inside the ring.
