After a failed attempt to lure Canelo Alvarez into the ring and seeing the possibility of a showdown with Gervonta “Tank” Davis fade away, Jake Paul set his sights on a new target: Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. The two will square off on June 28 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Despite the fact that Chavez Jr. was a WBC middleweight world champion, the 28-year-old does not seem to be worried. “This is the toughest fight of his career so far,” said Jake Paul. “And I’m going to humiliate him and make him quit, like he always does.”
And in case you thought this fight was an isolated one, Jake Paul already has his sights set on his next high-profile opponent. Who?
A few hours ago, Ring Magazine set social media ablaze with a provocative post on X:
“Jai Opetaia told The Ring that he will not knock out Gilberto Ramirez if he wants to fight Jake Paul,” the caption read.
Why would a reigning champion like Jai Opetaia avoid knocking out Zurdo?
The answer may be less about compassion and more about commercial value. Although Opetaia has a date with Claudio Squeo on June 8, he is already thinking about a unification fight with Ramirez, although the latter has other names (and figures) on his mind.
Opetaia, who looked razor sharp when he knocked out David Nyika in just four rounds this January in Queensland, defending his IBF cruiserweight title, knows that boxing is no longer just about belts: it’s about business. And like it or not, it attracts eyeballs and PPV (pay-per-view) sales. For his part, Ramirez has left his options open since defeating Dorticos, saying he is ready to fight “whoever”, and Opetaia knows exactly what that means.
Can Jake Paul handle Opetaia’s pressure?
Last month, Jake Paul appeared at a press conference in Hollywood surrounded by two championship belts and a cruiserweight world champion. Whether symbolic or a clear strategy, the scene showed a man who is planning his next move, one that could include a title fight against Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez. The WBO and WBA cruiserweight world champion was just a few feet away, and Jake Paul made no secret of his ambition.
But first things first: Jake Paul’s fight against former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. looms on June 28. Ramirez will share the card, defending his title in the co-main event against the powerful Yuniel Dorticos. At 33 years of age, Ramirez is used to big challenges, but he has also not ignored the media hype surrounding the Ohio boxer. When asked about the possibility of facing him, he did not rule it out:
“I have to take care of this opponent first,” he said in reference to Dorticos. “After this fight, whoever, it doesn’t matter.”
Even so, Jake Paul needs more than courage to enter the world title conversation.
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