Can Jake Paul Become a World Champion?

By Manny Delgado: Jake Paul (12-1, 7 KOs), “the problem child”, secured a victory over former WBC middleweight world champion, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr  (54-7-1, 34 KOs), this past Saturday. Arguably his most significant victory to date,  although there is not much to write home about, given Chavez was champion nearly 15 years ago. Not to mention, Chavez is heavily considered boxing’s biggest slacker. He has never taken the sport seriously and lives under his father’s shadow – Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., a living legend.

This was Paul’s second time facing a “legitimate boxer.” His first being against Tommy Fury. However, Fury isn’t anything special either. He possesses no standout attributes or natural talent for the sport. Regardless, he handed Paul his first-ever loss and first real boxing lesson.

The result of this fight incited further and more emphasized conversations in the sport. For example, Paul was never able to compete against real boxers or ever become a legitimate boxer. He’s simply “a sideshow” or “circus act “as people so often love to claim. Criticism towards a generally unsavory character such as Paul aside, given his loudmouth antics, many observers of the sport were generally surprised to see that Jake Paul has improved quite a significant amount since his loss to Tommy Fury in 2023.

He now appears to be taking the sport seriously and is moving like quite a decent amateur-level boxer. He is only 5 years into his professional boxing career, but he has the technical proficiency and fundamentals of boxers 1-2 years into a competitive amateur boxing career. However, not everyone would agree, as many would still go as far as to call him “trash”. You could say that for someone with the amount of money and resources he possesses, he should be much better by leaps and bounds.

Regardless, with his best performance to date, there is word the WBA will officially rank him. Paul wasted no time calling out multiple fighters after his victory. He wants tougher challenges and to become a world champion. A pipe dream for a YouTuber turned boxer, who had a very late start in the sport, as he did so well into his 20s.  This is a sport where the biggest superstars typically begin as soon as they can walk or, at the very least, in their early teens. Although there are exceptions, oftentimes those are fighters with abilities that are technically limited. In that regard, Paul is still a very limited boxer.

Many would go as far as to call Jake Paul delusional, and it would be hard to argue against, even Chavez Jr mentioned in the post-fight interview that he does not believe Paul is ready for any of the champions. Jake responded with “All I need is myself, if I listened to anybody in life, I wouldn’t be where I am today, so self-belief, self-belief is all it takes.”

He followed with a positive message for the kids, reiterating the importance of self-belief:

“If you’re a kid at home, don’t listen to anybody that tells you, you can’t do shit. I’m living proof of this s***. I’m from Ohio. I didn’t have s***. Self-made motherf****. All the way to the top of the game and I’m still going. I’m 28 years old and I run this f***** s***.”

This could easily be criticized by those who condemn him, as the right message, wrong messenger. Criticism aside, it is, after all, a positive message, one you could say will resonate with many young and impressionable minds. For all of Jake Paul’s shortcomings in character and flawed methods of delivery, you can’t knock him too hard for his well-intentioned attempts at inspiring the next generation.

There is also much criticism towards Paul about the legitimacy of his fights. Words like “rigged”, “circus act,” and “scripted” are tossed into the mix of conversation, synonymously with any reference to his name. The way he has carefully chosen his opponents is not all that different than how new prospects are paired off with taxi-cab drivers, construction workers, and overall part-timers. This is to pad their records with wins for their first 10-20 fights or so in order to build their confidence. The difference is that Jake Paul is doing it on a bigger stage and is capitalizing on it by selecting recognizable names. He secures bigger paychecks by fighting over-the-hill MMA fighters, retired legends, and has-beens rather than fighting a part-timer that is only known by those in his house.

It’s a smart move and not too unlike typical boxing tradition, but one that has gathered much criticism due to how generally unlikable he is found by avid fans of boxing. His approach is controversial due to its sensationalism, many claiming he has made a “mockery” of the sport altogether.

During the post-fight interview, Paul went on to call out Zurdo Ramirez, Badou Jack, Anthony Joshua, Gervonta Davis, and Tommy Fury.  It appears that Jake Paul is feeling more confident than ever. This could be attributed to his six-fight win streak, since the Tommy Fury loss which includes Legend Mike Tyson and now former champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. This newfound confidence a natural progression of what winning fights accomplishes internally. Gimmicks are obviously at play. You could call it delusion and an exaggerated self-inflation made possible through Paul’s mental gymnastics. Since he beat the legendary Mike Tyson, THE most recognizable name in boxing (even if he is now a senior citizen), for Jake Paul, it may feel as rewarding as if he were actually capable of beating a prime Mike Tyson.

Paul’s aggrandized sense of self notwithstanding, if we are to take him seriously in his pursuit of greatness and believe he intends to fight the names he called out, which many simply see as an extension of his antics. The question remains: Can he really become a World Champion?

Most boxing fans would aggressively disagree. Although Paul has shown steady improvements and delivered a respectable performance, showing a solid grasp of basic boxing fundamentals, it is still an amateur level of boxing. He has a long way to go before he can become a world champion, if at all. He did, after all, take a solid beating in the 9th and 10th rounds once Chavez Jr was finally willing to let his hands go.

The most realistic pursuit for Paul would be to avenge his loss against sub-par boxer Tommy Fury. However, even if this were to happen, he seems transfixed on biting off more than he can chew by challenging legitimate world-level boxers. Antics or genuine ambition? Only the coming months will tell.