Defamation Case Against Jake Paul Allowed to Go Forward Over Boxing Match Bribery Claims

Boxing promoter Eddie Hearns’ defamation case against Jake Paul will proceed after a motion to dismiss was denied.

The social media star-turned-boxer got slapped with a defamation lawsuit back in 2022 after he made claims that Hearns — the chairman of Matchroom Sports — bribed a judge connected to a pair of fights.

Boxing judge Glenn Feldman handled two fights where the victor fell to the fighter promoted by Hearns: the first was Katie Taylor’s win over Amanda Serrano, who Paul promoted through his Most Valuable Promotions company; the second came from the unified heavyweight champion rematch between eventual winner Anthony Joshua, who Hearns promoted, and Oleksandr Usyk.

“You’d think they would try to get a different judge to try and hide the corruption they are bringing to this sport, but it’s just so blatantly obvious,” Paul said at the time.

Both Hearns and Feldman have denied Paul’s accusations. The social media star attempted to have the case dismissed due to improper venue, lack of personal jurisdiction and failure to state a claim, all of which a federal judge rejected on Monday.

The lawsuit is scheduled to move forward with an Oct. 16 hearing, according to legal documents obtained by TheWrap.

Paul has otherwise been in the news this year due to his much-hyped bout against famed boxer Mike Tyson. The fight was originally scheduled for July 20, but was moved due to Tyson experiencing ulcer flareups. The fight is now set for Nov. 15 on Netflix.

“Although we had to postpone the fight, I will resume training shortly. I am thankful to the medical staff that treated me and to MVP, Netflix and AT&T Stadium for working diligently to find the best reschedule date for all parties,” Tyson said in a previous statement to press.

Ironically, the card also includes a massively anticipated rematch between Taylor and Serrano, whose previous meeting landed Paul in this defamation case to begin with.