Jake Paul (5-0) has surprised much of the world with his boxing. The former Disney star turned YouTuber first appeared in the squared circle just about two years ago when he took on another internet celebrity, Ali Gib.
Paul would of course go on to win by knockout. From there, he would take on former NBA player Nate Robinson. Again, Paul was able to secure a quick knockout. However, after that fight, he decided to up his boxing competition just a bit.
He took on former MMA champion Ben Askren in early 2021. Paul once against scored a brutal first round knockout. The win setup Paul against former UFC champion and teammate of Askren, Tyron Woodley.
For the first time, Paul would be boxing someone that could hurt him and do damage. They first fought back in August and Paul won a decision. However, Woodley hurt him a couple of times and would’ve knocked him down had it not been for the ropes.
The two would rematch in December and Jake Paul silenced a lot of his boxing critics. Paul knocked Woodley out cold in the sixth round to keep his perfect record and in doing so, showed the world that he can do serious damage against real guys.
In the middle of his boxing rise, Paul has been in a public spat with UFC president Dana White. Paul has called out White for the lack of fighter pay and the lack of revenue sharing. Dana White has fired back asking Paul to take a drug test to prove he’s not on steroids.
Paul has said that he wants to continue focusing on boxing, however, he does eye MMA in the future. He posted a video of himself online recently of him practicing leg kicks. Bellator and the PFL have both expressed interest in bringing Paul in for a future MMA bout.
Paul appeared on ESPN’s First Take this morning where he talked about his future. He made it clear that he’s still fully focused on boxing for now. He wants to potentially double his boxing wins before he turns his attention to something else.
Paul mentioned that he wants a 10-0 record in boxing before pursuing other things. He mentioned that his ultimate goal is to share the boxing ring with Canelo Alvarez down the line. He thinks that he could compete with him in the next three years.
Of course, Paul would be delusional to actually believe that, but something tells me that he does. After his stint in boxing is over, Paul mentioned that he would like to do MMA, play in the NFL, and even race in NASCAR.
That said, the latter three are a ways away. For now, it’s still boxing for Jake Paul. He mentioned that there are talks for him to box Julio Cesar Chavez Jr next. Chavez recently shared the ring with Anderson Silva and Silva won going away.
That said, Chavez would be the first guy that Paul would fight who comes from a boxing background. It’s both surprising and not surprising that he hasn’t called for a matchup with Anderson Silva given his desire to box MMA guys.
Tommy Fury is also in the cards as he was supposed to fight Fury in December before Fury pulled out with a rib injury. Regardless of the opponent, expect Jake Paul to be in the boxing ring at least two times in 2022. Love him or hate him, he’s here to stay.
This post was published on 2022-01-27 13:35
