Want to get a good laugh from a heavyweight boxing fan? Hints that Jake Paul might one day win a major title in the world.
Paul, who is expected to face rival Tommy Fury in a pay-per-view match on Sunday in Saudi Arabia, is undefeated and he has shown some natural ability. However, the 26-year-old boxer turned YouTuber has had a total of seven fights (six pro, one amateur) in his lifetime. And none of his opponents are genuine boxers.
He’s like a new dancer learning a complicated new step; he may have the basic idea but an educated eye can see he is still trying to figure it all out. And he may never look like Fred Astaire.
“That’s like saying a pig is about to fly,” Fury said Sports sky when asked if Paul could one day win a major title.
However, that realization didn’t seem to stop Paul. He believes that anything is possible with hard work and enough time.
And he’s not alone. His coach, BJ Flores, assists in his dreams. And neither did a number of people who didn’t work with him, including Hall of Famer Shane Mosley.
“I want to be a world champion,” Paul told Sky Sports. “I walking to become world champion, and all these matches are just stepping stones to get there. I am gradually improving.
“I’ve played against world champions and done something extraordinary against them, so who knows what might happen in the next two to three years as I enter my sporting peak. me? I started to really, really love this sport and all aspects of it.
“What could happen is really scary. I don’t think I’m just going to be the world champion, but I think I’m going to be the world champion to dominate and knock someone out for the title.”
Mosley, who worked with Paul (6-0.4 KOs) in his early career, said in an interview with FightHype.com that Paul “was a true soldier.”
The former two-weight world champion said Paul may want to target one-time middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. as one of those stepping stones.
Chavez recently lost to former MMA star Anderson Silva, whom Paul pointed to in his most recent bout.
“It’s a possibility because he’s got the body, he’s got the speed, he’s got the power,” Mosley said of Paul’s title chances. “He might need to lose a bit of weight, but he competes in cruiser class, so he will probably be relegated to light heavyweight.
“It’s going to be difficult for him in any weight class when you get to that level. Then he has to work with the right people. … It might take him two, three, four years even to be in that area, that area.
“He’s not there yet. But if he fights with the right people, then maybe he will.”
Flores, a former cruiser boxer, said he would stay by Paul’s side no matter what.
“[Winning a word title is] there is still a long way to go and a lofty, lofty goal,” Flores said. “…I’m always behind him and we’ll get through this as long as it does.”
It can happen sooner rather than later. WBC officials have cryptically said that Paul could make it into that ranking if he wins on Sunday. Then he will be in a position to face an owner… ready or not.
