Now that his fight against Mike Tyson is over, attention is turning to what Jake Paul’s next challenge might be. The Ohio-born YouTuber-turned-boxer publicly challenged Canelo Alvarez. But the question of who he will face next continues to be debated.
Among the possible opponents, one name keeps popping up: KSI. Interestingly, the English YouTuber shares a business partnership with Paul’s older brother, Logan Paul. However, the rivalry between “The Problem Child” and KSI remains one of the most talked about in crossover boxing.
Despite the talks, the fight between the two has not materialized. KSI took a bold step by challenging Jake Paul with a “final offer”. In an interview, Nakisa Bidarian, a close associate of Jake Paul and co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), raised the stakes with a $100 million stipulation. Mams Taylor, head of KSI’s promotional company Misfits Boxing, shared his thoughts on the matter.
Jake Paul cares more about revenue than risk
On his podcast “Fred Talks Fighting“, Fred Beck recalled the interview with Nakisa Bidarian. “With the question about KSI, I know it’s a cliche. He was saying that he would only fight KSI at 185 or 183 pounds with a weight set for $100 million,” Beck said.
“It’s just an excuse,” Mams Taylor replied when Beck asked for his opinion on Bidarian‘s comments. He suggested that Jake Paul’s team is avoiding a fight with KSI because it might be too risky. Therefore, he prioritizes money over taking fights that could damage his career.
Jake Paul’s focus is more on generating revenue from fights than on seeking legitimate titles or challenging opponents. If Paul were to fight KSI and lose, it could tarnish his image and derail his professional ambitions.
But many followers who have a deeper knowledge of boxing know that there is more to the story than meets the eye. “Like Jake won’t fight Vidal Riley, Jake won’t fight Anthony Yarde or, uh, Carl Froch or, um, you know, uh, whatever is a legitimate threat,” Taylor said.
However, the only exception to Paul’s “legitimate threat” rule might be Canelo Alvarez.
Canelo Alvarez is a separate case
Jake Paul seems more willing to accept high-profile fights but with expected losses. Losing to a top boxer like Canelo Alvarez would not damage his reputation too muchMams Taylor explained: “But you know, for him, I think in terms of marketing, he’s thinking, well, you know, it’s not the end of the world if I lose to Canelo; you know, I’m expected to lose to Canelo, but if I lose to KSI, then the house of cards falls down“.
Fred Beck asked for clarification: “Okay, so if he loses to KSI, he doesn’t get that fight with Canelo; is that what we were saying?“
“Of course not; he doesn’t get any other fight, and that’s the only reason he doesn’t accept this fight,” Taylor replied. The Misfits Boxing boss slammed Nakisa Bidarian, in contrast to his own genuine approach. He emphasized that the fight with KSI is being avoided for strategic reasons as the clash with Alvarez has a lot at stake.
The fight that never materialized:
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