After his recent unanimous decision victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, Jake Paul found himself once again at the center of controversy. Despite all three judges ruling in his favor, the boxer was met with a chorus of boos, to which Paul responded defiantly: “All the boos are words, and actions speak louder than words, so all of you can shut the f*** up.” This negative reaction on social media and among fans is not new; Paul had already faced similar criticism after his fight with Mike Tyson last year, so he is used to it.
In the midst of the ridicule and condemnation for the alleged lack of legitimacy of his fights, Paul has found an unexpected defender: boxer Ryan Garcia. Garcia, who is recovering from hand surgery following his loss to Rolando Romero, categorically dismissed the accusations of “rigging” against Jake Paul. “You can’t say Jake’s fights are rigged,” Garcia said.
Garcia admitted that Paul’s opponents “may not be the ones the fans want or the most challenging,” but argued that this is part of a typical build-up in boxing, not a test of “fixing.” He suggested that criticism of Jake Paul may be based on his immense popularity.
Ryan Garcia’s challenge to Jake Paul
After the defense, Garcia also issued a challenge to Paul. With the logic that Paul will run out of “40-year-old guys who have a name,” Garcia predicted that “he’ll have to face me sooner or later,” so the invitation was made and it would certainly be a fight that would grab the attention of all boxing fans.
The reason behind his insistence is simple: if Paul has mentioned a possible showdown with lightweight champion Gervonta Davis, despite Paul fighting at cruiserweight against former middleweight champions, then he should be willing to fight Garcia as well.
An unexpected twist
Criticism of Jake Paul’s style and personality is nothing new, as the boxer is used to being the villain and fans make it clear every time he steps into the ring. What was surprising, however, was Garcia’s defense of Paul, as he himself had criticized him in the past.
Months ago, Garcia made no secret of his doubts about Paul’s “legitimacy”, even going so far as to call him a “wild card” and pointing out that Paul “has never fought in a ranked fight in his weight class”. However, following Paul’s recent victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, Garcia has made a surprising U-turn and defended Paul.
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