After months and months of build-up – which started with criticism and promises of knockouts and neared its end with more criticism and ‘Iron’ Mike slapping ‘The Problem Child’ – Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson finally happened.
Did it live up to the hype? Not really. But something that has remained constant through the months is numbers – be it their age difference or their respective records. And now, an Instagram post has been drawing considerable interest for its thoughtful and comparative note.
It talks about the boxing journey of some of the well-known former and current world champions. Many build their resume after going through a series of what is commonly called ‘journeyman fights.’ The poster argued that a close personal look would reveal that’s pretty much the route Jake Paul took since he began his boxing career. So, if one considers the point, then the only differentiator between Paul and the boxing champs remains the ability to pull crowds.
It’s no secret that ‘The Problem Child’ pulled off a blockbuster in Texas last week, maybe not in terms of fighting, but definitely in terms of hype. Nearly 70,000 spectators and millions more on Netflix watched his 8-round bout against Mike Tyson when they took each other on at AT&T Stadium on November 15. The show featured the undisputed rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano as well.
So, according to @notjustboxing, whether one likes or loathes Jake Paul, the fact remains as follows: “There is not much difference between Jake Paul’s lack of competition in his first 12 fights compared to any other professional boxer’s first 12 fights. The only difference is the man is a marketing genius. He manages to get millions of people interested.”
Don’t believe it? Swipe through this post and see for yourself!
Beginning his boxing career with fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib, Paul fought former UFC fighters and champions such as Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, and Anderson Silva. Switching gears, last year, Jake Paul fought Tyson Fury’s brother Tommy Fury, a professional boxer. The ‘TNT’ defeated Paul by a split decision. Paul resumed fighting boxers after the Nate Diaz fight. But both André August and Ryan Bourland were semi-retired and 35 years old.
Let’s look at some of Paul’s fights and how old his opponents were when they fought: –
- November 2020: Defeated retired NBA player Nate Robinson (36)
- April 2021: Defeated retired MMA fighter Ben Askren (37)
- August & December 2021: Defeated retired MMA fighter Tyron Woodley twice (39)
- October 2022: Defeated retired MMA fighter Anderson Silva (47)
- February 2023: Lost to boxer Tommy Fury (23)
- August 2023: Defeated semi-retired MMA fighter Nate Diaz (38)
- November 2024: Defeated retired boxer Mike Tyson (58)
As is evident from the aforementioned list, Jake Paul (27) lost to the only boxer who was under 30 when they fought. ‘The Problem Child’ was 26 at the time.
The overall vibe of the comments suggested displeasure with the analysis. Let’s check what some of them had to suggest.
This fan promptly picked the sole oddity in Jake Paul’s boxing record. “Gotta realize Jake fought 1 boxer who boxes to this day; the rest are old and retired athletes. Jake’s proven nothing,” they said. Perhaps they were hinting at Tommy Fury, who inflicted Paul’s first loss. From retired UFC champions, ‘The Problem Child did move to boxers. However, including Tyson, they were retired or semi-retired and old.
The next one also caught the loophole. They said, “Except the others fought people who were active fighters within their chosen sports and weren’t famous YouTubers before hand.” Champions like Floyd Mayweather Jr., Canelo Alvarez, and Gervonta Davis may have fought a few journeymen initially; however, they were dyed-in-the-wool boxers, not someone who had crossed over.
The following fan shared similar thoughts. One could blame the former and current boxing champions for helping themselves generously with the easiest of challenges. “There is a HUGE difference,” they said. However, they fought real boxers who met the weight requirement, and the bouts followed standard boxing regulations. “People who “cherry pick” are still fighting other boxers who weigh the same as they do… They also don’t fight two-minute rounds—10 fights in…” the fan said.
For the next follower, Jake Paul’s shows are nothing short of a ‘circus’. They said, “I don’t consider him a boxer. He only fights older guys or nonboxers. It’s just a circus.” That is pretty much the most common and frequent point taken to pan the Ohioan.
Amidst visible resentment, a message of clarity surfaced. “At the end of the day, professional sports are just entertainment. Love him or loathe him, the chump generates lots of widespread entertainment,” this follower said. As the Netflix show at the AT&T Stadium showed, Jake Paul’s event pulled crowds, even if the visits were more out of curiosity or for mere entertainment.
Some strong observations, indeed. Most feel that Jake Paul needs to do more than just marketing gimmicks if he wants to cement a formidable boxing legacy.
For his next outing, ‘The Problem Child’ seems to be aiming at a cruiserweight clash against none other than Canelo Alvarez. But he appears to have received a callout from the undisputed champion Artur Beterbiev as well. When the news came, many fans suggested that he should take up the fight. But will he go against boxing’s scariest man?
