By Manny Delgado: Jake Paul (12-1, 7 KOs), “the issue child”, secured a victory over former WBC middleweight world champion, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr (54-7-1, 34 KOs), this past Saturday. Arguably his most important victory to this point, although there shouldn’t be much to write down home about, given Chavez was champion nearly 15 years ago. Not to say, Chavez is heavily considered boxing’s biggest slacker. He has never taken the game seriously and lives under his father’s shadow – Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., a living legend.
This was Paul’s second time facing a “legitimate boxer.” His first being against Tommy Fury. Nonetheless, Fury isn’t anything special either. He possesses no standout attributes or natural talent for the game. Regardless, he handed Paul his first-ever loss and first real boxing lesson.
The results of this fight incited further and more emphasized conversations in the game. For instance, Paul was never capable of compete against real boxers or ever grow to be a legitimate boxer. He’s simply “a sideshow” or “circus act “as people so often love to say. Criticism towards a generally unsavory character equivalent to Paul aside, given his loudmouth antics, many observers of the game were generally surprised to see that Jake Paul has improved quite a big amount since his loss to Tommy Fury in 2023.
He now appears to be taking the game seriously and is moving like quite a good amateur-level boxer. He is just 5 years into his skilled boxing profession, but he has the technical proficiency and fundamentals of boxers 1-2 years right into a competitive amateur boxing profession. Nonetheless, not everyone would agree, as many would still go so far as to call him “trash”. You may say that for somebody with the sum of money and resources he possesses, he ought to be significantly better by leaps and bounds.
Regardless, along with his best performance to this point, there may be word the WBA will officially rank him. Paul wasted no time calling out multiple fighters after his victory. He wants tougher challenges and to grow to be a world champion. A pipe dream for a YouTuber turned boxer, who had a really late start in the game, as he did so well into his 20s. It is a sport where the most important superstars typically begin as soon as they’ll walk or, on the very least, of their early teens. Although there are exceptions, oftentimes those are fighters with abilities which might be technically limited. In that regard, Paul remains to be a really limited boxer.
Many would go so far as to call Jake Paul delusional, and it could be hard to argue against, even Chavez Jr mentioned within the post-fight interview that he doesn’t consider Paul is prepared for any of the champions. Jake responded with “All I want is myself, if I listened to anybody in life, I wouldn’t be where I’m today, so self-belief, self-belief is all it takes.”
He followed with a positive message for the children, reiterating the importance of self-belief:
“When you’re a child at home, don’t hearken to anybody that tells you, you possibly can’t do shit. I’m living proof of this s***. I’m from Ohio. I didn’t have s***. Self-made motherf****. All of the option to the highest of the sport and I’m still going. I’m 28 years old and I run this f***** s***.”
This might easily be criticized by those that condemn him, as the proper message, mistaken messenger. Criticism aside, it’s, in spite of everything, a positive message, one you might say will resonate with many young and impressionable minds. For all of Jake Paul’s shortcomings in character and flawed methods of delivery, you possibly can’t knock him too hard for his well-intentioned attempts at inspiring the subsequent generation.
There’s also much criticism towards Paul in regards to the legitimacy of his fights. Words like “rigged”, “circus act,” and “scripted” are tossed into the combination of conversation, synonymously with any reference to his name. The best way he has rigorously chosen his opponents shouldn’t be all that different than how latest prospects are paired off with taxi-cab drivers, construction employees, and overall part-timers. That is to pad their records with wins for his or her first 10-20 fights or so with a view to construct their confidence. The difference is that Jake Paul is doing it on an even bigger stage and is capitalizing on it by choosing recognizable names. He secures greater paychecks by fighting over-the-hill MMA fighters, retired legends, and has-beens somewhat than fighting a part-timer that is just known by those in his house.
It’s a wise move and never too unlike typical boxing tradition, but one which has gathered much criticism as a result of how generally unlikable he’s found by avid fans of boxing. His approach is controversial as a result of its sensationalism, many claiming he has made a “mockery” of the game altogether.
Throughout the post-fight interview, Paul went on to call out Zurdo Ramirez, Badou Jack, Anthony Joshua, Gervonta Davis, and Tommy Fury. It seems that Jake Paul is feeling more confident than ever. This may very well be attributed to his six-fight win streak, for the reason that Tommy Fury loss which incorporates Legend Mike Tyson and now former champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. This newfound confidence a natural progression of what winning fights accomplishes internally. Gimmicks are obviously at play. You may call it delusion and an exaggerated self-inflation made possible through Paul’s mental gymnastics. Since he beat the legendary Mike Tyson, THE most recognizable name in boxing (even when he’s now a senior citizen), for Jake Paul, it might feel as rewarding as if he were actually able to beating a chief Mike Tyson.
Paul’s aggrandized sense of self notwithstanding, if we’re to take him seriously in his pursuit of greatness and consider he intends to fight the names he called out, which many simply see as an extension of his antics. The query stays: Can he really grow to be a World Champion?
Most boxing fans would aggressively disagree. Although Paul has shown regular improvements and delivered a decent performance, showing a solid grasp of basic boxing fundamentals, it remains to be an amateur level of boxing. He has an extended option to go before he can grow to be a world champion, if in any respect. He did, in spite of everything, take a solid beating within the ninth and tenth rounds once Chavez Jr was finally willing to let his hands go.
Essentially the most realistic pursuit for Paul can be to avenge his loss against sub-par boxer Tommy Fury. Nonetheless, even when this were to occur, he seems transfixed on biting off greater than he can chew by difficult legitimate world-level boxers. Antics or real ambition? Only the approaching months will tell.
Last Updated on 06/30/2025