Posted on: December 9, 2024, 04:20h.
Last updated on: December 9, 2024, 04:20h.
Online gambling platform Rabona.com is taking on Mike Tyson. UK-based Medier, which markets the Curacao-licensed Rabona, accuses the boxing legend of failing to fulfill his obligations as its brand ambassador because he had more pressing matters to attend to. Namely, preparing for his controversial post-retirement fight with influencer Jake Paul.
In a $1.6 million lawsuit filed in London’s High Court, Medier claims Tyson and his company, Tyrannic, broke the contract in March 2024, on the same day the Tyson Vs Paul Neflix special was announced. The fight earned Tyson an estimated $20 million.
Deal Falls Apart
A press release announcing Rabona’s deal with Tyson was sent out on February 6, 2024. As well as offering “Tyson-branded bonuses” as part of the deal, it said the star would “engage fans through monthly livestreams, exclusively on Rabona’s Twitch and Kick channels.”
These would showcase Tyson playing Rabona’s online casino games while “sharing his expertise and recounting exclusive stories from his storied career.”
But all this failed to materialize, according to the lawsuit, because the 58-year-old Tyson suddenly had to devote himself to getting into shape as he prepared to take on a fighter 30 years his junior.
Medier claims that the illegal termination of the deal left Rabona €1.5 million ($1.6 million) out of pocket. But in a statement issued Friday, Tyranic claimed it was Rabona that breached the contract.
“It is the company’s position that Medier, Ltd. materially breached the terms of its license agreement on multiple occasions and in various ways,” said a spokesperson for the company. “As such, Tyrannic, LLC was well within its legal and contractual rights to terminate the license agreement for material breach in an effort to mitigate additional reputational harm to the Tyson brand.”
Underwhelming Spectacle
Ultimately, Paul’s tepid defeat of a distinctly rusty “Iron” Mike proved to be a let down for boxing fans hoping for a Tyson comeback. The Rabona complaint isn’t the only lawsuit related to the November 15 spectacle, which many viewers felt was overhyped and failed to pack a punch.
Last month, a Florida man filed a proposed class-action lawsuit on behalf of thousands of customers who complained of poor streaming quality during the bout.
The complaint accuses Netflix of being “woefully ill-prepared” for the high demand of the fight, which rendered the livestream “unwatchable.” It claims breach of contract and deceptive trade practices under Florida law.
“Sixty million Americans were hyped to see ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson, ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ versus YouTuber-turned-prizefighter Jake Paul. What they saw was ‘The Baddest Streaming on the Planet,’” the lawsuit complains.
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