Jake Paul has taken issue with a reporter claiming that he won’t join the likes of Floyd Mayweather and Lennox Lewis in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
At a presser for his upcoming fight with former UFC star, Nate Diaz, the 26-year-old fielded questions from the media alongside his opponent. Kendrick Johnson of MMA Weekly flagged up Diaz sparring with the likes of Andre Ward, and asked him the following question:
“How much confidence does that give you knowing that you’ve seen stuff [Jake Paul] can’t do since he’s not a future Hall of Fame boxer?”
After giving time for Diaz to respond, Paul had his say.
“I don’t know who you are to say I’m not a future Hall of Fame boxer.”
‘What’s your resume look like?’ Came the response from Johnson. Paul instead spoke about the impact he’s had since taking up the sport.
“I’ve done more for the sport than any boxers in current history. What has Floyd Mayweather done for women’s boxing? The list goes on. I’ve changed the whole entire game. Brought a new 70 million followers to the sport.
Put on bigger pay-per-views than some of these Hall of Fame guys. Ryan Garcia-Gervonta Davis? 800,000 pay-per-view buys. Me versus Tommy Fury? 830,000.
You want to talk about Hall of Famers? You want to talk about resume? Yeah, I’m building it up buddy. I just got started in this game. This is mu eighth fight, and I’m fighting Nate Diaz one of the biggest fighters in MMA history.”
Jake Paul had a ready made following from a different industry. He’s not or never EVER will be good enough to be mentioned in the same breath as the great hall of fame boxers of years gone by. Defo can be inducted in the YouTuber Boxers hall of fame. But not pro boxing! #pauldiazpic.twitter.com/E9fG4QCCO9
— Fight Club 247 (@fightclub247) May 9, 2023
Paul has indeed made his mark on the sport in recent years, consistently selling fights against mixed martial arts stars and one basketballer.
He was recently served a harsh reality check after claims of becoming a world champion by challenging the likes of Saul ‘Canelo’ Álvarez preceded a loss to Tommy Fury – the first professional boxer he faced who, like Paul, is green in the sport.