Jake Paul has become one of the most polarizing figures in boxing. After he defeated Mike Tyson in November, he has received a high amount of criticism. But a former light heavyweight champion has his back.
While Jake Paul has been highly criticized since becoming a professional boxer and, especially when he defeated Mike Tyson back in November, “The Problem Child” has a defender in former unified light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver.
While talking with ‘3 Knockdown Rule,’ Tarver said that what Paul was doing for boxing “is phenomenal,” and that he and promoter Nakisa Bidarian “doing a great job for fighters,” putting the example of Amanda Serrano, who became the highest-paid female boxer for her rematch against Katie Taylor.
“If you can’t see the positivity in everything he’s doing, you’re blind,” said Tarver. “He’s putting that light on boxing. Only other person that could have done that was Your Excellency Turki Alalshikh,” he said, about the Saudi Arabian boxing powerbroker.
While Paul has been criticized for his boxing skills, most recently by women’s champion, Claressa Shields, he has undeniably become one of the most followed figures in the sport. His bout against Tyson, which he won by unanimous decision, was viewed by 108 million people all over the world, according to Netflix.
Jake Paul fighting Mike Tyson (Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix © 2024)
The former YouTuber, who has a record of 11-1, with seven wins by knockout, has vowed to take the sport more seriously, and leave behind what is known as “influencer boxing.” However, he still hasn’t revealed who his next rival is.
Jake Paul has returned to training
Paul has been called out by several boxers, including Artur Beterbiev, Daniel Dubois, and Oliver McCall. According to reports, Conor McGregor could be the top contender for another bout. However, there’s no official comment on the matter for now.
Though Paul has yet to confirm any fights for 2025, he recently revealed he’s back in training. Recently, Paul shared Instagram videos of himself shadowboxing and performing strength and conditioning drills, captioning them with “Something’s coming.”
