Jake Paul is not a name boxing fans may have been aware of until recent years, however it is now impossible to not know who the once YouTuber, 27-year-old is.
It was of no one’s surprise that the younger man won with ease. Yet the significance of this fight went far beyond any outcome.
Paul first entered a boxing ring in 2018 against fellow YouTuber Deji Olatunji in a white-collar fight on the undercard of the fight between their brothers, KSI and Logan Paul.
Now six years on ‘The Problem Child’ has had twelve professional bouts, which include names such as Tommy Fury, Nate Diaz, Michael Perry, and now ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson.
As a result of the huge fame he has gathered from YouTube, Paul is now one of the biggest names in the sport.
In his fight with Tyson, he managed to secure an incredible 60 million viewers on the streaming platform Netflix – for context, this is 900 per cent higher than any other major boxing or MMA event this year.
He has also not been shy about his desire to “take over” the sport and has labelled himself as the “biggest draw in boxing”.
Due to this, he has now caught the attention of some of the biggest names this sport has to offer.
In this article we will look at 5 world champions who he could fight next – yes this is no joke.
1. Daniel Dubois
The current IBF world heavyweight champion is now two months on since his demolition job over Anthony Joshua and despite talks of potential fights against other top heavyweights, he has incredibly offered Paul a shot at his belt.
Whilst this may seem completely absurd, his promoter Frank Warren has even confirmed that they would take this fight in a heartbeat.
Paul responded to the challenge by telling the Brit to “Get in line.”
Dubois is set to return to the ring on February 22, with an opponent set to be announced imminently.
2. Artur Beterbiev
After his sensational victory against Dmitry Bivol to become the first undisputed light heavyweight champion since Roy Jones in 2000, Beterbiev has cemented himself as one the greatest fighters in history.
Nevertheless, he has astonishingly offered Paul a shot at his belts.
Paul responded to the call out by claiming he now runs the sport.
Despite this, it looks like we will see the rematch between Beterbiev and Bivol next.
3. Kevin Lerena
Following Lawrence Okolie vacating his WBC bridgerweight to move up to heavyweight, Lerena has been promoted to full champion after becoming mandatory back in May.
Now speaking to BoxingScene, he has also offered Paul a shot at his belt.
Despite not currently being ranked by the WBC, President Mauricio Sulaiman has said he expects Paul to be entered into the rankings soon.
4. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Former WBC middleweight champion Chavez Jr returned to the ring on July 20th against UFC star Uriah Hall, on the undercard of Paul-Perry.
A fight between the 38-year-old and Paul has been rumoured before, but now WBA president Gilberto Mendoza has confirmed he would sanction this fight.
5. Carl Froch
Froch and Paul, have never seen eye to eye, on many occasions, the former three-belt world super middleweight champion has blasted the American.
Most recently, Froch has called Paul out, claiming he would beat him with one arm tied behind his back.
Paul responded in fury telling the Brit to let him know if he wanted to wash his cars.
Nevertheless, there is certainly the demand for a fight.
It is unlikely that any of these fights will actually materialise as they all carry serious jeopardy for Paul, and he has shown thus far that he will only take fights against those where he will likely win.
Despite losing to Tommy Fury, this fight was more to prove that he could compete against professional boxers.
However, this claim is questionable as since this fight, Fury has chosen to fight the likes of KSI and now most recently Darren Till.
Paul is a serious commercial asset, which is likely why so many world champions want to fight him – along with the incentive to stop the American in his tracks.
Boxing fans whether they love or hate Paul, may have to get used to him as it does not look like he will be leaving the sport anytime soon.
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