Piers Morgan has publicly retracted his claim that Jake Paul’s boxing matches are “boring, staged bulls***” after the YouTube star-turned-professional boxer took legal steps to address what he considers defamatory statements. Morgan issued a lengthy apology to his 8.9 million followers on social media platform X on August 9.

“I posted a few weeks ago that Jake Paul’s boxing career has been ‘boring staged bullsh*t.’ What I meant is that his fights have been predominantly against older, past-their-prime opponents, which may be lucrative for both sides, and may have entertainment value, but don’t reveal how he stacks up against currently ranked boxers and therefore are not a good look for the sport. I did not intend to suggest that the outcome was predetermined and certainly didn’t mean to suggest anything illegal,” Morgan’s statement reads.

The retraction comes days after Paul retained high-profile attorney Alex Spiro, who reportedly charges around $3,000 per hour and has represented clients including Elon Musk, Jay-Z, and Naomi Osaka.

Paul announced on Instagram that he would “pursue litigation against anyone who questioned the legitimacy of his matches,” stating, “If anyone says my fights are staged you will be sued.”

Nakisa Bidarian, Paul’s manager and MVP co-founder, emphasized the business implications of such allegations during an interview on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” noting that defamatory statements cause “substantial damage to his business, to MVP’s business.”

“We’re having to have conversations with our partners that are just unjustifiable,” Bidarian said, referencing Paul’s partnerships with major brands including DAZN, Netflix, and Celsius.

Conflict Origins and Resolution

The dispute between Paul and Morgan began in June when Paul left an interview with the British commentator after Morgan expressed doubt about Paul’s boxing abilities. Morgan subsequently criticized Paul in a now-deleted social media post.

In his apology, Morgan noted that if reports about Paul potentially fighting Anthony Joshua are accurate, it “would obviously be a seriously credible bout against one of the best heavyweights in the world.”

Paul’s most high-profile match to date was against former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in November 2024, which drew over 108 million viewers globally on Netflix.

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