Shaquille O'Neal Sends Message to Anthony Joshua Amid 'Scripted' Conspiracy After Dispatching Jake Paul

Shaquille O'Neal was one of many sports personalities who watched Anthony Joshua beat Jake Paul in a boxing match on Friday. The four-time NBA champion sent a message to Joshua, alluding to the rumored "scripted" nature of Paul's previous fights.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, O'Neal seemingly celebrated Joshua's knockout victory over the YouTube-turned-boxer. The former world champion needed six rounds to break Paul's jaw and earn his 29th career win.

It was also his first win since March 8, 2024, when he knocked out former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.

"Yeah anthony joshua #what script," Shaq tweeted.

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Shaquille O'Neal is a known boxing fan, so he probably liked Anthony Joshua's big win over Jake Paul, who has claimed that he's making boxing relevant again. However, fans and other boxing personalities have accused him of "scripting" his fights.

Paul has also been called out by many for the quality of opponents he has chosen over the years. The majority of his wins came against former MMA fighters like Anderson Silva, Mike Perry, Tyron Woodley and Nate Diaz.

The 28-year-old influencer also has wins over former boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., who seemingly entered the ring for a payday, and the legendary Mike Tyson, who was 58 years old at the time. His two losses came against Tommy Fury and Anthony Joshua, who both had the size advantage.

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Shaquille O'Neal faced 2 boxing legends inside the ring

At the end of his NBA career, Shaquille O'Neal was busier off the court than on it. O'Neal launched the show called "Shaq Vs." wherein he faced other athletes in their respective sports. He faced Oscar De La Hoya in Season 1 of the show, losing via unanimous decision.

O'Neal claimed that he went easy on De La Hoya because they were friends, as reported by the Basketball Network. The NBA legend fared better against Shane Mosley in the second season of "Shaq Vs."

"Diesel" was more aggressive and landed shots at the former world champion. But at the end of the match, Mosley narrowly defeated O'Neal 48-47 on the scorecards.

Fast forward to 2025, O'Neal teased a couple of boxing matches. He was amped up and ready for an NBA vs. NFL boxing event after the debate of which players could successfully cross over to the other sport. He also accepted a boxing callout from Charlie Mack, a well-known entertainment promoter from Philadelphia.

Edited by Juan Paolo David