Nearly five years ago, Jake Paul climbed the ropes for his professional boxing debut as a playful YouTuber looking to cash in on his online fame and enjoy the ride. However, I had no idea how long the trip would take.
“Who knows where the sport takes me, but I love it, it’s fun and I’m good at it,” Paul stated before his fight against fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib in 2020.
“I wouldn’t do something just to do it.”
The social media star had caught the “boxing virus,” he said, and was ready to throw himself into the unforgiving world of blood, sweat and tears full-time. “I choose to do this, it’s something I’m passionate about,” he added.
Although not even Paul could have imagined the unprecedented position he would find himself in just under five years later.
In front of more than 70,000 people, he bested boxing legend Mike Tyson last Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, while an estimated 65 million others tuned in around the world.
Jake Paul had no idea where boxing would take him before his professional debut in 2020.
YouTube Sensation Decommissioned Fellow Online Star AnEsonGib to Go Live
Just under five years later, Paul defeated boxing legend Mike Tyson in a record-breaking event.
Yes, Tyson was always going to be a shadow of his former self and even more so at the age of 58. The confrontation itself was a farce, and Paul can’t take any pride in dancing circles around an old man.
What cannot be taken away, however, is the record-breaking appeal of the event itself. His disappointing battle with a vulnerable Tyson generated a staggering $18 million in total revenue, considered the ninth-highest combat sports entry in U.S. history and the largest outside of Las Vegas.
When you take into account that his first amateur competition only took place in 2018, Paul’s improbable rise as one of boxing’s biggest draws has to go down as the fastest and most unfathomable of all time, regardless of the limited opposition he has faced. far.
The fuse of his surprising foray into the sport was lit by two other YouTubers, the British duo KSI and Joe Weller.
KSI’s amateur victory over Weller in February 2018 was the first major influencer fight to generate significant buzz, with nearly two million viewers watching on YouTube.
And after watching an online rival flex his muscles as the king of the YouTube ring, Paul wanted in.
Six months later, he followed in KSI and Weller’s footsteps by taking on the former’s younger brother, Deji, in an amateur competition of his own at the Manchester Arena. The result was emphatic, with Paul finally forcing a stoppage in the fifth round after a one-sided beating from his outmatched opponent.
While his older brother Logan enjoyed two battles with KSI, one amateur and one professional, Jake continued to hone his craft behind the scenes before finally agreeing to turn professional, although his debut was against fellow online personality AnEsonGib in January 2020. .
His rise as one of boxing’s biggest draws is one of the most surprising of all time.
Last week, Paul faced Tyson in the highest-grossing American boxing event ever held outside of Las Vegas.
More than 70,000 people filled AT&T Stadium in Texas, while 65 million tuned in around the world
While the fight itself was a farce, the commercial success of the event cannot be questioned.
On a show promoted by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom company, there was much anticipation after AnEsonGib, real name Ali Loui Al-Fakhri, spoke of a good game in the build-up and vowed to knock out Paul in devastating fashion.
In the end, however, that prediction couldn’t have been further from the truth.
Instead, Paul needed just one round to dismantle a calamitous Al-Fakhri, who fell to the canvas three times before the referee waved off the fight.
While he may have faced a complete rookie, the ‘Problem Kid’ was out of place in the professional ranks after an embarrassingly easy debut.
And since then he hasn’t looked back.
In the nearly five years that followed, Paul has fought 11 more professional fights; winning 10 of them, sharing the ring with some high profile names and making a lot of money in the process.
He brutally eliminated former UFC stars Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley, the latter previously enjoying a long reign as the MMA promotion’s welterweight champion.
Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz were defeated convincingly on points, while a brave Mike Perry was defeated in six rounds after putting in a valiant effort.
As a young, raw prospect still plying his trade as a rookie in the sport, Paul has also taken on more standard tests for a fighter of his level against the likes of Andre August and Ryan Bourland.
Paul has scored some big wins in his career so far, including over former UFC champion Tyron Woodley.
But he suffered a points defeat when he finally faced a legitimate boxer: Tommy Fury.
Regardless, Paul’s journey from online personality to boxing cash cow has been remarkable.
And the first time he faced a legitimate boxer, Tyson Fury’s younger brother, it ended in a split-decision points loss, the only blemish on his otherwise perfect record.
Paul has frequently spoken of his plan to go ahead and win a world boxing title, a slightly ridiculous ambition that has been rightly scrapped in recent years. “I don’t think you’ll ever come close to being a world-class fighter,” Eddie Hearn brutally told him in 2022.
The latest outing against Tyson will not have helped Paul any in his unrealistic bid to become world champion, but it has boosted his profile to even more dizzying heights than he was accustomed to as one of the most famous influencers on the planet.
As a result, several current world champions are eager to get a piece of the lucrative pie he is serving up in the sport.
In the wake of his victory over Tyson, IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois and undisputed light heavyweight king Artur Beterbiev have called out Paul – the most serious indication yet that, from a of marketing, is becoming a force to be reckoned with in boxing.
So what’s next for the YouTuber turned wrestler?
There’s little to no chance he’ll consider stepping into the ring with Dubois or Beterbiev, even if they’re serious about it. Both men are genuine world-class traders with little superstar appeal, meaning the risk almost certainly outweighs the reward.
World champions Daniel Dubois (left) and Artur Beterbiev (right) have called him out lately.
Paul is desperate to face Canelo Alvarez, but doing so would end disastrously for him
Conor McGregor would make sense as an opponent both commercially and strategically
Paul hasn’t tired of mentioning Canelo Alvarez’s name in recent years, another pound-for-pound star who would simply destroy him with ease. Unless you want to knock him out cruelly, you should avoid the four-weight world champion at all costs.
A more realistic option that would make a lot of sense both commercially and strategically is Conor McGregor.
The UFC icon hasn’t competed in the Octagon for over three years and hasn’t returned since suffering a gruesome broken leg against Dustin Poirier in July 2021.
Given that he is one of the highest-earning combat sports stars of the century, enticing McGregor into the boxing ring would certainly be a blockbuster and winnable fight.
However, Paul expressed doubt over the Irishman’s willingness to meet him in a boxing ring after last week’s victory over Tyson, meaning he may need to look elsewhere.
Regardless of what comes next, the trip has already been historic for the former Disney Channel star.
And whether you like it or not, you may be just getting started.