If that's the case it would seem the build up documentary was"staged" too then! I watched the three part Netflix build up back to back before the fight and it was clear that both fighters trained to exhaustion. They were both up for it.IMO it had nothing to do with age, this fight had to have been 100% staged. There was never a plan for Mike to win, or knock out JP. It seemed obvious to me, lawyers and contracts got in the middle of this fight, which turned out to be nothing short of a business agreement. Reports of JP getting 40 M, and Mike 20M.
I've been following the fight game for several decades, and Mike's career since he was a teenager. It did not appear to me that he even made a single solid offensive maneuver on JP. He just danced around for 16 minutes. Last night we saw Money Mike, not Iron Mike.
I looked at the odds before the fight. JP was 1/2 and Mike was 15/8. For those foolish enough to think that Mike was going roll back the years and destroy JP those Tyson odds would have been very tempting.Just on bets alone, look at how much $$$$ would have exchanged hands, much/most of those bets based on the pre-fight hype. That B slap to JP's face probably amped up some last minute betting as well. I mean, I don't blame Mike if this was simply based on $$$$, which to me it certainly appeared to be. It was just disappointing - yet at the same time I'm glad that he didn't get hurt. @ 58 yrs, nobody should be stepping in the ring.