FROM IRRELEVANT TO INNOVATOR: JAKE PAUL’S INCREDIBLE RISE IN THE WORLD OF BOXING
When Jake Paul first stepped foot into this bonkers world of boxing, many laughed at him. A YouTuber—better known for being on the Disney Channel—with no previous experience inside the ring, turning his hand to boxing.
Many thought it was stupid. Many thought it was just a mad publicity stunt. But not many believed it would turn out the way it has.
After making his boxing debut against fellow influencer Deji, Paul decided to make the sport a full-time job.
He took a step back from all of his influencer work, hired a legitimate team full of boxing experience, and revealed that he was here to stay.
That, he certainly was.
Now, nearly six years on from his professional debut and having faced a number of former MMA stars along with former boxing world champions Mike Tyson and Julio César Chávez Jr., Paul is preparing to face the biggest challenge of his life in the shape of former two-time heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua.
This isn’t an inactive fighter who’s simply coming back for a big payday. This is a man who has fought for a world title in 13 of his last 17 fights.
Still one of the deadliest men on the planet with power in both hands—and little old influencer Jake Paul is about to fight him.
Utter madness.
Paul has made boxing purists respect him. Yes, he may not be world class, and he may never win a world title, but what he has done is respect the sport. He’s taken it seriously. He’s dedicated his life to it. He’s brought eyes to boxing that, without him, would never have bothered to watch a fight of any sort.
But the one massive thing that Paul has done—something he still probably doesn’t get the praise he deserves for—is helping grow women’s boxing.
In the last 20 years, women’s boxing has grown to unprecedented levels. Fighters such as Katie Taylor, Amanda Serrano, Claressa Shields, and Savannah Marshall have stolen back-page headlines from their male counterparts—and rightly so.
Paul has invested a huge amount of his time and money into growing women’s boxing alongside his business partner at Most Valuable Promotions, Nakisa Bidarian.
As of today, Most Valuable Promotions has 14 active female world champions on its roster—an endless amount more than any of MVP’s main rivals.
Yes, they may not have the top two pound-for-pound stars in Katie Taylor and Claressa Shields, but what they do have is an abundance of women’s talent.
A clear strategic move by Jake Paul and MVP.
Most Valuable Promotions is now the home of women’s boxing. If you were a young female boxer coming through, they would be the pinnacle.
Jake Paul, Netflix as your broadcaster, heaps of in-house fights possible—it would be a no-brainer to sign with MVP, as we saw recently with Caroline Dubois.
Without Paul and Bidarian, you could make a fair argument that women’s boxing would still be cantering along rather than accelerating the way it is.
Paul’s rival, Eddie Hearn, has done—and continues to do—incredible things for women’s boxing too. Katie Taylor is, as many believe, the greatest female boxer of all time, and Hearn may well have discovered the next Katie Taylor in the shape of Tiah Mai Ayton.
If, despite their differences, Hearn and Paul can work together to continue growing women’s boxing alongside the likes of Frank Warren, then the sport will keep pushing boundaries and bridging the financial gap with the men’s side.
One thing is for sure, though: Jake Paul hasn’t just come into boxing for a few gimme fights. He’s come into boxing to change the sport forever—and that is one thing he is certainly still managing to do.
Don’t forget to head over to our partners Tenex Casino for the latest odds on the fight HERE.