Jake Paul is setting himself up for a big payday.
On Saturday, “The Problem Child” recorded his second straight first-round knockout when he turned out the lights on North Dakota-based Ryan Bourland at Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Although most of his fights have come against former MMA fighters, Paul has begun to put his money where his mouth is.
For the first three years of his professional career, the 27-year-old Paul (9-1, 6 KOs) was roundly criticized for not facing “professional fighters.” His last two bouts, however, have taken place against pro boxers, albeit not exactly high on the caliber scale. Paul’s critics will undoubtedly move the goalposts, but Paul has already won half of the battle by improving his level of competition. But what’s the next step for Paul?
Canelo Alvarez
After destroying Bourland, Paul called out the current undisputed super middleweight world champion. “Canelo, stop ducking. I know you want it. I’m repping Puerto Rico, you’re repping Mexico, so it’s Puerto Rico vs Mexico.”
Alvarez has not entirely ruled out a fight against Paul. Although he was initially dismissive, the four-division world champion was asked in an interview with TMZ in 2021 what it would take for him to fight Paul. Canelo responded, “He needs to keep improving. Good luck.”
While Paul is clearly not on his level, it’s hard to deny his impact on the sport. And yes, Alvarez would probably knock Paul out relatively quickly. That much is guaranteed. As of last August, Canelo did not outright destroy the idea of fighting Paul, but he gave the longtime social media star some advice. “My level is another level, but look, I think he needs to enjoy what he’s doing, and that’s it,” Alvarez told Mirror Fighting. “He needs to calm down and start calling out people with other levels. I think he needs to focus on what he’s doing. He’s doing good things. Enjoy that.”
Alvarez, boxing’s top star, is currently in talks with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) about a potential pay-per-view fight against fellow Mexican fighter Jaime Munguia in Las Vegas.
Tommy Fury
The more logical fight would be a rematch against Tommy Fury, the half-brother of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. Last February, the Englishman beat Paul via split decision in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. Fury outboxed Paul for long stretches, but the YouTuber-turned-prizefighter dropped Fury in the eighth and final round off a jab to make things interesting.
Paul has now won three fights since that sole defeat, including back-to-back emphatic wins over Andre August and Bourland. In those fights, Paul utilized his jab, and his shot selection improved. On the other hand, the unbeaten Fury (10-0, 4 KOs) has fought just once since the Paul fight, defeating KSI in a disputed six-round unanimous decision. A rematch will sell either way, but if Paul manages to win the second fight and perhaps knocks out his bitter rival, it will only get better for him.
Lorenzo Medina
If Paul really wants to test his skills, how about this guy? Lorenzo “Giant Killer” Medina (10-0, 9 KOs) is just 19 years old, but he apparently packs a punch.
Last March, Medina knocked out Milton Nunez in the second round of a scheduled six-round bout. Some of you are probably wondering, ‘Who the heck is Milton Nunez?’ Well, Nunez is a journeyman who has fought several well-known fighters when they were coming up, including Gennadiy Golovkin, Daniel Jacobs, Sergio Mora, and Zhanibek Alimkhanuly. That’s three former world champions and a current belt holder.
Hear me out. Paul fights this kid, and let’s say he wins. ‘Look at me. I just beat a guy who fought a guy that fought all of these big names.’ It sounds silly, but people buy into that sort of thing. Paul may want to pursue the Fury rematch, though. It’s a safer fight, and he’ll likely make more money. But if he can’t secure that fight, will he be willing to get in there with this supposed killer? We’ll see, but I can’t lie to you; I’d love to see how Paul matches up against another powerful boxer.
Pingback: Jake Paul Contemplates Getting A Mike Tyson-esque Face Tattoo - Fights Around The World
Pingback: Dana White on Why Jake Paul Might End Up Fighting Clint Eastwood - Fights Around The World
Pingback: Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson Set For July 20 in Dallas,TX On Netflix - Fights Around The World