Last November, a remarkable boxing event at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, brought together fans from different generations. The highly anticipated match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson sparked widespread curiosity, attracting audiences who follow both historical and contemporary figures in combat sports.
Mike Tyson, entering the ring alone with his signature cutoff towel and intimidating demeanor reminiscent of his prime in the `80s and `90s, received strong support primarily from older fans who grew up watching his career. In contrast, Jake Paul, arriving in a lowrider with his brother Logan, was mainly cheered on by younger followers familiar with their extensive social media presence.
The visual of Tyson facing Paul was undeniably striking, although the fight itself was somewhat anticlimactic, with Paul securing a comfortable decision victory over the much older Tyson.
“[I can fight] anyone I want next,” Paul stated during his post-fight interview after defeating the 58-year-old Tyson over eight rounds. “Everyone is next on the list. I`m not going to call out specific names. I know wants a payday; he knows where the money is at.” (referencing Canelo Alvarez).
Despite the significant age difference of 31 years between the internet personality turned boxer and the former heavyweight champion, the event was a massive success, drawing millions of viewers and generating a significant gate revenue, the largest for any non-Las Vegas combat sports event.
This outcome demonstrated that Paul, now 28, is a highly skilled promoter capable of staging major cultural events that generate substantial income. However, did defeating an opponent who hadn`t won a meaningful professional bout in over two decades advance Paul`s goal of proving himself as a legitimate boxer worthy of challenging for a world title?
Paul continues his effort to transition from social media sensation to boxing world champion as he prepares to face former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. this Saturday in Anaheim, California. Given his ambitious boxing aspirations and unconventional path, Paul faces considerable skepticism within the sport.
The announcement of the fight against Chavez Jr. drew widespread criticism regarding the opponent selection. Chavez, 39, is well past his prime, having held his 160-pound title 13 years ago. Although Chavez is closer to his peak form than Tyson was at 58, this hasn`t prevented Paul`s detractors from questioning the matchup.
“That`s not even boxing,” remarked a prominent promoter, Chavez`s former associate. “Chavez Jr. should have hung up — I thought he had hung up the gloves a long time ago. Jake Paul is not a boxer. It`s a spectacle… I have absolutely no interest in a Jake Paul vs. Chavez Jr. fight because it`s not boxing.”
Some degree of criticism is justified. In his 12 professional fights, Paul (11-1, 7 KOs) has competed against five MMA fighters, a former NBA player, a fellow YouTuber, two experienced but less notable boxers, one rising fighter, and a former heavyweight champion nearing 60. It`s clear that Paul`s boxing journey is unfolding differently from that of most fighters.
No boxer in history has attracted this level of attention heading into their 13th professional fight. Despite not holding a major title or having any amateur boxing background, Paul commands a larger social media following than the vast majority of current world champions.
Chavez, with a record of 54-6-1 (34 KOs), certainly brings experience. However, a crucial factor in this particular matchup appears to be his renowned last name.
“We know why he chose Chavez Jr.,” stated Chavez`s manager. “He`s the son of a legend [Julio Cesar Chavez] with name value. They look at his record and think they can take him but don`t know what`s behind his recent performances. I`m here to tell you that this is the best version of Chavez Jr. and there are levels to this. Julio, even at this stage of his career, is better than Jake Paul will be in his entire life.”
So, how challenging is it to find the ideal opponent for Paul? One who offers a competitive challenge while also helping to promote a large-scale event and allowing Paul to progress toward his ultimate goal of becoming a world champion? According to Paul, this is a complex business operation, one that he and his promotional team take very seriously.
“There`s a two-sided approach for me where I have the big name to do big fights and we`ll entertain those,” Paul explained. “But at the same time, I`m in this to become world champion. That`s the only thing I haven`t done in the sport yet. But I do run a business at the end of the day, so Chavez is the perfect opponent because he`s experienced and he also has the drawing power with his Mexican fan base and legendary father.”
What began as a profitable side venture for Paul has now become his main pursuit. As his boxing career progresses, Paul and the company he co-founded face the unique challenge of identifying opponents who can help develop Paul`s raw boxing skills while also ensuring events are large enough to match his social media superstar status.
“It`s a bit of a balancing act for us,” noted the head of boxing for Paul`s promotional company. “A big part of it is the spotlight Jake Paul has on him. People are expecting a certain level of opponent for a pay-per-view, but also expect the fight to be competitive. It`s a challenge for us to do both.”
One individual who understands the complexities of matchmaking is Roberto Diaz. During his 15 years as a matchmaker for a major promotional company, he played a role in guiding the careers of future champions. “Matchmaking is an art,” Diaz, now president of his own management company, explained. “There is art in developing and progressing a fighter while identifying a good fight for fans. Every fighter is different with their goals. Do you want to win a world title, or do you just want to make the money? It`s not easy either way.”
Alongside referees and judges, matchmakers often have a thankless job in boxing. When things go smoothly, their work is rarely noticed. However, when a fighter loses, blame often falls on the trainer or the matchmaker for putting them in a too-difficult fight too soon. “If you talk to 10 matchmakers, nine out of 10 will tell you they don`t do it for the glory because there is no glory in matchmaking,” Diaz said. “Anytime a fighter loses a fight, the fault goes to either the trainer or the matchmaker because they put them in too tough [a fight], too early. And the fans? The fans are the most difficult to please in boxing, more than in any other sport in the world.”
Diaz believes Paul`s matchmaking has been “brilliant” considering his minimal experience. “Jake Paul started his career late and has no background in boxing,” Diaz stated. “Say what you will about Chavez Jr.`s career today, but he`s a step forward for Paul as a former world champion with legitimate boxing experience. If Paul wants to get closer to the world title level in his 13th pro fight, with no previous amateur experience and limited opposition, this is the perfect opponent.”
Another former matchmaker suggests that the criticism Paul receives is primarily due to his fame rather than his matchmaking itself. “Nobody would be complaining about who he has been fighting if his name wasn`t Jake Paul,” he commented. “As a matter of fact, people would say he is overachieving considering that he has no amateur experience and he`s fighting a former world champion in his 13th fight.”
Another point of criticism regarding Paul`s opponent selection is their age. After Saturday`s bout, the average age of Paul`s opponents will be just under 37, with nine of his twelve opponents being over 35. While critics argue Paul preys on older fighters, his team points to the current landscape of top boxers. “There used to be this thought process that once fighters hit 30, they were washed up,” noted Paul`s head of boxing. “Fighters last a lot longer nowadays. There`s a lot more science and they take better care of their bodies. If you stop and look at pound-for-pound lists, almost all the fighters are in their 30s now.”
Many of the top-ranked boxers globally are currently over 30, including several in their late 30s or 40s. However, a closer look reveals that Paul`s opponents were often well past their peak years before facing him. Chavez hasn`t had a significant win in over a decade. Other opponents like Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley, Ben Askren, and Nate Diaz were far removed from their prime and were not primarily boxers to begin with.
Paul`s team states there is no shortage of potential opponents for his future fights. Several current and former champions have expressed interest in facing Paul. A fight with one notable champion nearly happened but was postponed.
The effort to balance the traditional path toward a world title with participating in mega-fights is expected to continue. Paul is reportedly aiming for major fights in the coming years, including potential bouts against top names. He is also still open to a rematch with the only man to defeat him professionally, though his team indicated that opponent`s financial demands made the fight currently unfeasible.
“His ask was astronomical and I know he just fought on some club show,” said Paul`s head of boxing about Tommy Fury`s recent fight. “Jake`s career is fine without him.”
According to Paul, his serious pursuit of a world championship began the day after his loss to Fury in 2023. That defeat forced Paul to confront his limitations against an opponent who had trained as a boxer for most of his life. Despite the loss, Paul did not lose the attention of his fanbase.
“Losing the Tommy Fury fight was the best thing to ever happen to me,” Paul reflected. “It showed that losing didn`t define me. I decided to double down and take my boxing career more seriously. I needed to change my coaching team, be more active and try to build my career like a traditional fighter would.”
However, maintaining a strictly traditional path has proven difficult, as other opportunities too significant to ignore have emerged. After securing first-round knockout victories against two professional boxers, Paul deviated from this path to face a former MMA fighter in July 2024. This opponent stepped in as a replacement when Tyson had to postpone their original fight due to health issues. Paul won that fight by TKO, and subsequently, the opportunity to fight Tyson again became available.
“The fights were by design to start building his skill set against actual boxers,” Paul`s co-founder explained. “You can say that Tommy Fury is not a great boxer, but he has been trained purely as a boxer and knows what to do in the ring. After that loss, we wanted Jake to start getting experience against pure boxers.”
“But, from a Jake perspective — and I agree with this — when the opportunity presents itself to create another massive fight, you`re going to jump at that opportunity.”
The idea of matching Paul with Chavez had been discussed for several years, recognizing Chavez`s status as a former world champion.
“Two years ago, I met with [Julio] Chavez Sr. and I said his son should fight Jake Paul,” recounted Roberto Diaz. “His dad said `Who`s that?` and `Why would he fight him?` and I said it`s less risk for the most money. They wanted to set up a meeting in L.A., but a week later, Chavez Jr. gets checked into rehab for a year.”
Upon leaving rehabilitation, Chavez was strategically placed on the undercard of Paul`s fight against the former MMA fighter, mirroring how Tommy Fury fought on the undercard of an earlier Paul bout in 2021. In both instances, the subsequent main event fight materialized within a logical timeframe for both parties.
However, the planned fight with Chavez was nearly superseded by a stunning turn of events when Paul seemed close to securing another major blockbuster: a match against Canelo Alvarez, the acclaimed four-division boxing champion, which was potentially scheduled for May.
Although the fight ultimately did not happen, with Alvarez signing a significant deal elsewhere, Paul and his team viewed the prospect positively. “The way we looked at it was that it was going to be an economic juggernaut for everyone involved,” Paul`s co-founder commented. “But it`s a win-win for Jake if he can hang with Canelo because the expectation is that he would be thoroughly outclassed.”
Paul isn`t focused on protecting an undefeated record; he`s willing to take risks if the potential rewards are substantial. “It`s not a bad look for Jake to lose to Canelo,” Diaz observed. “If he loses to Canelo, it gives him more exposure and experience. You take those risks because the opportunity, if you pull off the upset, is huge. Boxing is all about opportunities.”
Achieving a world title remains a challenging task, one that Paul believes a victory over Chavez will bring him closer to accomplishing. “We are already talking to [a cruiserweight champion],” Paul stated. “A major sanctioning body may rank me depending on how the fight with Chavez goes, and that would be needed to get a fight with a champion approved. That`s what I`m focused on. But the biggest thing is that there is risk involved. Even if it is a somewhat competitive fight against Chavez, it`s a tougher fight than some recent championship bouts where the favorite was heavily favored.
“I`m still taking a bigger risk than these other fighters are, who have been boxing their whole lives.”
A prominent official from a major sanctioning body indicated that Paul could potentially be ranked after Saturday`s fight, depending on the outcome. The official wrote that the committee has been following Paul`s career and a convincing win over Chavez would make a ranking very likely.
There is no expectation that Paul`s fight against Chavez will match the enormous financial success of the Tyson bout. Nevertheless, as long as the fight moves Paul closer to his goal of becoming a world champion, he intends to ignore the critics and continue on his chosen path.
“I have learned that no matter what you do in this sport, there are always going to be haters,” Paul concluded. “That`s just something I`ve accepted. I don`t care to make everyone like or respect me. A lot of this is for me and the next generation of fans. And I know some people are genuinely inspired and love me. I`m showing them what`s possible.”