Jake Paul chalked up another victory on Saturday, this time defeating boxing legend Mike Tyson in another controversial outing.
The 58-year-old former world champion returned to the ring after almost two decades away from the professional scene, but was outclassed by Paul across eight rounds.
The reaction to the bout has been anything but stellar, with boxing fans and experts still critical of Paul's ability inside the ropes.
READ MORE: NSW given slight edge as Origin fixtures revealed
READ MORE: Why boxing great was 'embarrassed' after Tyson return
READ MORE: Wallabies torch Wales to keep Grand Slam bid alive
Across his 12 pro appearances to date, Paul has recorded 11 victories – which on the surface, would suggest that he is a serious prospect in the fight game.
But in reality, the 27-year-old is yet to fight anyone of real boxing significance.
Decision victories over ex-UFC stars including Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz won't inch him any closer towards his dreams of becoming a world champion, nor will his latest venture in the sport against an opponent more than twice his age.
The only time Paul has faced a legitimate boxing threat in Tommy Fury – the younger brother of former world champ Tyson – he lost via split decision in February 2023.
Despite his shortcomings and the criticism coming his way, Paul has become one of the biggest attractions in combat sports, highlighted by the 100 million viewers his latest bout attracted across the globe on Netflix.
But what – or who – is next for the polarising YouTube star turned boxer?
Let's take a look at some of the options for Paul's next fight.
Tommy Fury
The most logical fight that Paul should be looking to take is a rematch against Fury.
Their initial clash last year was extremely close across the eight rounds and Paul almost scored the victory in the final stages after knocking Fury to the canvas.
Financial disputes have so far stalled negotiations for a potential rematch, but it's something that both Paul and Fury have been open to bringing to fruition.
Fury (10-0) last fought against fellow social media influencer KSI over a year ago and will return to the ring to face former UFC middleweight Darren Till in January.
https://twitter.com/arielhelwani/status/1858205304283918585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Should he get through the fight unscathed against his fellow Englishman early next year, Fury could be at the top of the list when it comes to Paul's next boxing opponent.
It wouldn't draw as many eyeballs as some of the other options for Paul, but his ego and aspirations of winning a world title would make it a necessary step for his career.
Conor McGregor
At the complete opposite end of the scale to a rematch with Fury would be fighting the biggest name in combat sports this century, Conor McGregor.
The former two-division UFC champion hasn't competed in more than three years since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier, but has two fights left on his contract.
While it's unlikely McGregor goes back to a boxing ring before competing for Dana White's promotion again, there is certainly interest in seeing the Irish star fight Paul.
The pair went back-and-forth after Paul's win against Tyson and in terms of box-office appeal, there might not be a bigger fight on planet earth today.
If they were to square off, Paul would need to shed some weight in order to be on a level playing field with McGregor, who spent his UFC career fighting at 155 pounds or less.
Ryan Garcia
There aren't many fighters in the world today who are as controversial as Paul, but former world champion Ryan Garcia could certainly mount a strong case.
The 26-year-old was last inside the ring when he beat Devin Haney for the WBC super lightweight title in April, but the result was overturned after a failed drug test.
Garcia is an enigmatic figure, but has been vocal about his desire to fight the content creator and the potential trash talk would be off the charts.
https://twitter.com/RyanGarcia/status/1792592025243558385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Similar to a potential McGregor fight, Paul would need to drop down a few weight classes from heavyweight in order to make it happen.
Garcia has won 24 of his 26 professional bouts and would present the biggest threat to Paul of anyone he has faced in his early career.
Canelo Alvarez
Speaking of big threats, there is perhaps nobody that Paul has mentioned more than Canelo Alvarez, who has been one of the world's best boxers for many years.
After his latest victory, Paul threw down the gauntlet to the Mexican juggernaut once again and believes the fight needs to happen down the line.
"This moment will prove I'm the face of boxing," Paul told the Timbo Sugar Show.
"Me vs. Canelo at 200 lbs for the cruiserweight championship of the world is the biggest fight, arguably even bigger than me vs. Tyson.
"It makes so much sense. Canelo is on his way out. He's going to want a payday and I want to show the world all the shit I've been talking about beating Canelo is actually true and I'll have the biggest upset in the history of boxing."
Unfortunately for him, Alvarez doesn't feel the same way.
"I'm not interested," he told TMZ.
Through his 66 professional outings, Alvarez has only lost twice and has won world titles in four weight classes, making him one of the 21st century's most accomplished boxers.
KSI
Let's move back towards what Paul does best – the ridiculous.
This fight has been spoken about for more than five years and the two social media stars have plenty of animosity between them.
It first stemmed from KSI's fight with Logan Paul – the older brother of Jake – before continued call outs and threats over the years.
https://twitter.com/KSI/status/1857064122199765239?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
KSI was highly critical of Paul's clash with Tyson, labelling it "disgusting", but hasn't spoken at length publicly since the outcome.
Should the two influencers get a deal done, it would be among the most viewed fights in recent memory and would likely be held at Wembley Stadium.
The popular British star has six pro fights to his name, with the only loss coming against Tommy Fury a year ago – something he has in common with Paul.
Logan Paul
And now for the most absurd option on this list.
Long before Jake was selling out arenas against combat sports legend, Logan Paul was getting the YouTube boxing scene off the ground against KSI in 2019.
While he has only had one pro fight against Dillon Danis since then, as well as an exhibition against Floyd Mayweather, the older of the Paul brothers remains a massive name in the sports and entertainment industry.
In more recent times, Logan has been plying his trade with WWE, winning his first title with the company last year and competing at multiple WrestleMania events.
A clash with his younger and more brash brother would be more likely to fit the bill inside the famous WWE ring, but there's no reason why they couldn't put on a pair of gloves and create history in the sport of boxing.
It's unlikely, but never say never in this industry.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.