Although it was not a very brilliant fight, Jake Paul got a very important bonus of prestige, for the simple fact of beating Mike Tyson. Beyond the millions he pocketed for his unanimous decision victory, the ‘Problem Child’ managed to position himself in a place where he could face great stars of today, who are now interested in giving him a chance in a ‘serious’ fight beyond a great media spectacle.
Among the names that have been mentioned are pugilists such as: Ryan Garcia, Gervonta Davis, Daniel Dubois, Artur Beterbiev. But this long list now presents him with a new problem: who will he choose for the next fight?
According to former MMA fighter Chael Sonnen, Paul’s presence is a problem against legitimacy in boxing, as he lamented that in the past no one took seriously what the YouTuber achieved, even though at the moment he has had retired challengers or turned into boxers like him, in very media-oriented but low-quality cards.
Through his podcast, Sonnen criticized the most important boxers of today:
“Today I listen to several boxers, right?, like boxers who have not been interested in him for years. And suddenly, today, they have all found his name attractive and want to fight Jake Paul.”
He even reflected that a few months ago Paul ran out of opponents and tried to challenge other big names such as Conor McGregor and Canelo Alvarez. However, the challenge of Mike Tyson, even though he was visibly diminished, further elevated the image Paul had of him.
However, Sonnen acknowledged what Jake Paul has achieved at this point in his career: “I believe Jake. I think he wants it. What I don’t believe is these people who are challenging him. I doubt their sincerity. I wonder if you want it or you’re willing to do it. There’s a big difference.”
He even dared to propose a knockout tournament to define his next opponent:
“How would we know who wants it and who’s willing to do it? Well, let me offer you a suggestion. A tournament. The winner gets Jake Paul. You see, that’s more captivating to me and everyone has their preferences. But I have a belief system that tells you that when you do a tournament, when you do an event that leads to an opportunity rather than a payday, you attract more attention from the audience.”
Another option available is that of a fighter who agreed to fight him for free: Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, a former UFC light heavyweight champion.
This caused that after beating Tyson, Paul now put aside any possibility for Conor McGregor, who disdained him in the past.
“Dear Conor, I know you told my team you would fight me at 170 pounds. That will never happen. But let’s run in MMA. No weight class. Just like it used to be done. But you won’t do it.”
For his part, ‘Rampage’ Jackson sent a challenge to the ‘Problem Child‘ to defend the MMA guild, for speaking ill of McGregor:
“Hey, @jakepaul, watch your mouth when talking to MMA royalty. I’ll fight you in MMA, no weight class and no money needed. It’s a great deal… but I bet YOU won’t do it. Stop disrespecting people in my damn sport, mate. Your fight with Tyson was the straw that broke the camel’s back… go back to boxing fighters.”
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