Jake Paul is not a boxer. Jake Paul is a social media algorithm come to life. The idea that he is serious about the sport of boxing has always been laughable. The announcement that Paul will not take on Anthony Joshua, but 135-pound champion Gervonta Davis (30-0-1, 28 KO) in a ten-round exhibition match only makes that clearer.
Jake Paul has fought one legitimate boxer anywhere near their prime, and he lost. Since Jake Paul was defeated by Tommy Fury, Paul has made a lot of noise and called out a lot of big names in the sport. Yet whenever Paul’s next opponent is announced, mysteriously, he ends up in the ring with an opponent who poses no real threat to him.
From former MMA fighters, or a 57-year-old Mike Tyson, or a washed-up boxer with nothing more than a famous father and an alleged cartel association, it is almost impressive how many ways Jake Paul can find to not fight a legitimate professional boxer.
Gervonta Davis weighed in at 133.8 pounds before his last fight in March. Paul weighed in at 199.4 pounds in June for his previous fight. For these two to be fighting each other in November, the best-case scenario is that the fight is a complete farce.
Imagine listening to Jake Paul claim he wants to fight the best and be a world champion and believing him. Of course, it took two signatures to make this fight happen, and Gervonta Davis is not blameless in this either.
In his last fight. Davis was lucky to earn a draw against Lamont Roach. During the ninth round, after taking a short jab, Davis walked towards his corner and took a knee. The referee did not rule this a knockdown. Davis had a warrior’s explanation for what happened. ”I just got my hair done two days ago, and she put grease in it. […] When you’re sweating and things like that, the grease came into my face and burned my eyes”.
Davis seemed poised to have a rematch with Roach this summer, presumably not getting his hair done beforehand. But Davis and Roach had not agreed to terms even before he got into some legal trouble yet again (for which the charges were eventually dropped). Roach decided to move on, and Gervonta Davis was in limbo.
Until suddenly, like a teenager scrolling through YouTube, Jake Paul entered the picture. This is not objectionable from each man’s financial standpoint; both men should be given kudos for making a big-money fight that will be shown on Netflix.
But spare me the dialogue about how Jake Paul is a legitimate boxer, or how he’s definitely going to face a real challenger in his next fight. Jake Paul draws an audience, and there will be debates about his fight. Just don’t call Jake Paul a boxer; call him a sports entertainer.
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