By: Sean Crose
Everyone stopped laughing last night. They laughed, but they stopped at two minutes and twelve seconds into the sixth inning of the second Jake Paul-Tyron Woodley fight. That’s when social media star turned professional boxer Paul delivered a thunderous blow to former UFC star turned pro Woodley. Unconscious on impact, Woodley literally fell face down, arms hanging at his sides. The moment was reminiscent of Thomas Hearn’s ferocious one-knack knockdown on fellow great Robert Duran back in 1984. However, everyone knew what Hearns was capable of at the time. Everyone knew Paul could hit, sure, but no one expected anyone to realize how effective his punches could be before this weekend.
Now they know.
And they were shocked.
Because they should be.
So let’s put everything in perspective.
First and foremost, Paul can’t beat boxing’s first draw, Canelo Alvarez, or anyone near Canelo’s skill level. At least not yet. Probably never. The truth was that Paul’s skills were still quite rudimentary. Canelo, or any boxer of any caliber, for that matter, wouldn’t make the shot that Woodley did. Either that or they will be set to nullify its impact. Don’t forget, true to his nature, Woodley is the product of the octagon, not the ring. There is a world difference between the two battle zones. Mixed fighters always have to be prepared for attacks from their opponents. Boxers have to prepare for punches – not just punches, but punches honed to perfection. There’s a reason why Floyd Mayweather didn’t crash like a lot of mixed martial artists did when he was thrashed by Conor McGregor. Mayweather is a born boxer while McGregor, talented and skilled, is a mixed martial artist active in someone else’s sport.
Not to believe the point, but Paul didn’t exchange punches with a boxer who didn’t emerge from the field of sport. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Paul has now had a total of five professional boxing fights. No. 5. Even the brightest of boxing’s rising stars did not start fighting high-level competitions. That would be career suicide, just as suicide was for Paul to try to combine it with notable fighters right now. He is growing in the sweet science and such things take time. What’s interesting – and even impressive – about the guy is that he’s really growing. He trains his butt and looks to improve. In short, he takes the sport very seriously.
That’s why, despite his limited résumé, he should now be taken seriously as a potential client. I use the word “potential” here because this is a boxing publication that values boxing. Paul’s popularity will ultimately not be able to counter his own ring-wearing achievement in this figurative forest. With all that in mind, though, let’s admit that, famous or not, Jake Paul is still a professional boxer worth keeping an eye on.
Not anyone really has a choice to NOT pay attention.
