WBO welterweight champion, Terence Crawford, has offered his thoughts on Jake Paul and the recent breakthrough of ‘influencer’ boxing.
Undefeated ‘Bud’ is undoubtedly a pound-for-pound superstar and one of the fighters of this generation, having held the undisputed super-lightweight crown until moving up to the 147lb division.
Whilst he admitted that influencer boxing isn’t really up his street, the 35-year-old acknowledged that there is a market and audience for the shows and that they deserve respect for stepping in the ring, he told the MMA Hour.
“I can’t knock the next man for putting food on his family’s table,”
“It’s entertainment at the end of the day. They’re just going in there to entertain the fans, and if the fans are going to pay them to entertain them, so be it.
“I’ll watch the real fighters. Not saying these guys aren’t real fighters, because these guys get in the ring and put their life on the line, just like any other fighter does. They’ve been doing it for a number of years, but at the same time, it’s a different skill set and different skill level.”
As for Jake Paul specifically, Crawford believes that it is time that ‘The Problem Child’ stepped up and faced a recognised boxer, with Paul’s biggest current wins being over former UFC champions.
“When you look at Jake Paul, he’s been training for years,”
“He’s been fighting without head gear and fighting in the back of his yard. Jake Paul definitely became a professional in this sport. I just want to see him actually fight a real fighter at this point in time. Any real boxer. Not an MMA fighter that you’re bigger than.
Somebody your weight. Get him a real fight. Test him out. Not somebody in the top-10, just a real fighter that we can say, ‘OK, Jake, you fought such and such, he was ranked 15,’ or something, and we can gauge from there.”