Is Jake Paul A Real Boxer?
There is no one, right now, who is more controversial in boxing, more than Jake Paul.
Jake Paul is a social media personality who has been one of the pioneers in ushering in a new era of boxing - the YouTube Influencer Era. From a Disney Channel actor and viral social media influencer, 2018 marked the year when Jake picked up the gloves and started his boxing journey.
The biggest moment of Jake Paul's boxing career went down last October when he beat former longtime UFC middleweight champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva by a unanimous decision.
The win over Silva was his third over ex-UFC fighters; the other two were former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, whom Paul beat twice, including a knockout, and Ben Askren, who also got KO'd. As of February 2023, Jake Paul's current record stands at an impressive (6-0-0, 4 KOs).
Jake Paul is now arguably one of the biggest attractions in professional boxing and prepares to face half-brother of Tyson Fury, and undefeated professional boxer, Tommy Fury next week.
But the question that echoes throughout the boxing community remains - is Jake Paul a real boxer?
THE GOOD.
The reality is, Jake Paul is a credible early-career professional boxer and his win over 47-year-old Anderson "The Spider" Silva last October was not a robbery, but fully deserved.
Whether you personally like him or his style or his trash talk or the nature of his fame, has nothing to do with it, Jake Paul isn't a fake boxer. Whether he's good depends on your definition of good.
Jake Paul has great boxing fundamentals, and every great boxer knows that if you can master the fundamentals you will be successful in boxing. Alongside his great boxing fundamentals, Jake is still developing and getting better after every one of his fights. The kid has hustle.
"Paul's a real good striker," said Mike Tyson during an episode of his podcast. It's high praise coming from a heavyweight boxing legend like him, and it's something he doesn't do often. Another legend, Oscar de la Hoya, feels the same way. "Let me tell you one thing about Jake Paul. He's the real deal,"
Although, not everyone agrees. Eddie Hearn, a famous British boxing promoter, doesn't think he's a talented boxer but admitted he isn't awful, either. "He's not terrible, but he's not very good," he said. "He's never going to be a world champion, never going to be a world-class fighter, and never going to be able to compete against anyone even close to world level. But I've seen worse."
Armed with a great lead hook and strong power jab to the body, Jake also has a real boxing team behind him and whether you are a fan of his or not, it's clear that he is just getting started in this sport.
THE BAD.
Despite Jake Paul's clear fundamental skills as a boxer early on in his career, many fans around the world and those associated with boxing will never accept him and there is real reasoning behind it.
Countless boxers around the world work tirelessly every day to try and make something of themselves while balancing families and full-time jobs but are never able to break through and get into the big fights that pay the big money.
Unless you are a big-time fighter like Canelo, Bivol, or Haney, most boxers only manage to get by with the help of sponsors and other jobs outside of training. All the while Paul jumped into boxing and has routinely made a huge financial income in each fight he has had.
The harsh reality is, boxing is a tough sport to break into. There aren't many boxers who have fought in front of the eyeballs of thousands, certainly so early in their career, and it is understandably infuriating for those properly involved and invested in the sport of boxing professionally.
SO, IS JAKE PAUL A REAL BOXER?
So is Jake Paul a real, legitimate boxer?
Some experts say yes. Some experts say no.
Whether his time in the ring is a short-term stint or a long-term career move, he has already caused a stir in a short space of time and has arguably changed the boxing scene for eras to come.
Many will be watching Jake, as the undefeated professional boxer Tommy Fury becomes the latest chosen fighter attempting to finally derail Paul's so far smooth yet controversial ride into boxing.
It's going to be a battle of a professional boxer versus an influencer boxer. Both men are in excellent physical condition and have an undefeated streak to protect. In Tommy's corner is half-brother, and the current WBC heavyweight world champion, Tyson Fury, who predicts a KO in favor of Tommy.
The buzz around this fight is that if Jake loses won't be a big deal, whereas if Tommy loses, there would be a lot more pressure on his shoulders, especially as a pro. Either way, we'll find out more when Jake takes on arguably his most formidable opponent yet, Tommy "TNT" Fury, on February 26.
Jake Paul's drive to prove himself as a professional boxer and his commitment to the sport is worthy of wide respect. Jake says his ultimate goal is to win a world title someday. Does he have it in him? Or is he only here for a short stint? Only time will tell, but until then - let's just enjoy the show.
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