Is Jake Paul A Good Boxer?
In recent times, there has been a rising trend in celebrities getting into boxing. Jake Paul and his boxing venture is certainly the best example.
On his journey, he mostly faced and beat athletes from non-combat sports or old UFC fighters with the most famous ones being Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva, and Nate Diaz. And despite all the criticism, controversies, and negative backlash in the media, Jake Paul is here to stay.
But many fans wonder if Jake Paul is considered a good, real boxer. Can you put him in the same group of professional boxers?
So in this article, we are going to analyze the career of the younger Paul brother, his opponents, and his overall approach to the game, and give our take on whether he has the right to be called a professional boxer.
Is Jake Paul a Good Boxer?
Don’t let his flashy and controversial persona fool you. Jake Paul is fully dedicated to boxing training and his discipline and passion for the sport is under no question. In the media, he is playing this game of portraying himself as “beatable” and easy money for older MMA fighters to come in and collect the money. But in reality, he is training and improving at a fast pace.
In the end, you don’t just get off the couch and go into the pro-boxing world to share a ring and beat legitimate opponents like Nate Diaz or Anderson Silva, for instance. Also, let’s not forget that both of these fighters were considered the best boxers in the UFC for years.
Paul has been consistently training under some of the best coaches in the game for many years now, and no one can deny he has made solid progress.
In his last few fights, he looked physically and mentally prepared. He never showed any signs of fatigue even in the later rounds despite the fast-paced action. Next, people also overlook how disciplined he is inside the ring. He is always listening to his coaches, keeping the guard tight, and always sticking to fundamentals.
Although his level of skill might be debatable, no one should question his dedication to becoming a pro boxer. His social media posts and trash-talking might give you a false perception that he only cares about the business side of the game.
But behind the scenes, he is working hard to keep his boxing dream running. In the end, boxing legends like Shane Mosley and his former trainer wouldn’t train Paul if he wasn’t dedicated.
His Boxing Record Showcases Above-Average Skills
Looking at his record, Paul has wins over some big names like Anderson Silva, Nate Diaz, and Tyron Woodley. He also finished a couple of his fights with brutal knockouts, such as the Woodley rematch and Ben Askren. But the big issue is — that these are all MMA fighters, not boxers.
The big argument is that he is not a “real” boxer because he never beat a real boxer. And this is true. To be considered a professional or good, Paul would need to have won or at least go toe-to-toe against legitimate boxers.
The only legitimate boxer he faced was Tommy Furry. In fact, this one is also questionable because Furry as well is often criticized for not taking his career seriously. But still, the difference in skill level was obvious right from the start. Furry managed to control the action and dictate the pace through the rounds to take home a decision win.
But at the same time, you can’t beat Woodley two times, Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz without proper boxing skills. Silva and Diaz in particular because these two were considered the best boxers in the UFC for years. Diaz used to regularly train with pro boxers such as Andre Ward and under boxing coach Richard Perez so he is a legitimate opponent.
Whether Diaz was playing around just to collect a paycheck is unknown. However, a win is a win. Paul beat him and no one can take that away from him.
So looking at his record, we can conclude that Jake Paul has above-average boxing skills. He is capable of competing against pro boxers who share a similar level of experience. But, this does not indicate that he would beat them. No, it only shows that his skills belong to the pro-boxing scene.
Is Jake Paul Good For Boxing?
There is no reason to say Jake Paul is bad for boxing. Have you ever heard any promotions complaining about his presence? Do you think that any of these promotions would refuse to work with him and capitalize on his rise? Of course not.
Paul’s rise is unique because he was able to use his star power to fast-track his road to success. Unlike other boxers, he didn’t have to start at a young age, spend years on amateur scenes, have hundreds of matches, and then join the pro scene. As a globally popular social media figure, he instantly received a lot of media attention, and that’s normal.
Also, he decided to take a different path. In terms of business, he made a wise decision to target retired MMA fighters and built his boxing career off their names. Is that bad? No, it’s quite smart from a business standpoint.
His goal is not to enter the top 10 rankings and regularly compete against the likes of Canelo Alvarez or Bivol. Paul himself knows that.
So, it’s important to distinguish Jake Paul’s exhibition show from real boxing. These are two completely different worlds and as long as fans are aware of that, Jake Paul would be marginalized from other professional boxers.
His matches and media presence are certainly bringing in millions of new fans into the sport, which also benefits other boxers too. Like Paul is using them for his promotion, they can also use Paul to increase their fan base.
How Far Can Jake Paul Go in Boxing?
Like most other sports, boxing is also driven by money, viewership, and matchups that can generate massive revenue. Thus, it won’t be surprising if Jake Paul secures a matchup against a top boxer. The most important question is — what are his chances?
Jake Paul is a decent boxer. But at this stage, he is nowhere near the elite level. And as it all stands, he won’t reach the upper-level skill-wise simply because it’s obvious he is taking a different approach. An approach more oriented toward money rather than legacy.
In order to become a legitimate champion in one of four major promotions, he would have needed to do a lot more. This includes competing more often, facing legitimate boxers, and potentially losing, but getting back to the drawing board and improving. He certainly has the required discipline, talent, and work ethic to achieve this. But it’s very unlikely.
Instead, Paul will continue to target high-profile matches against UFC fighters, maybe even transition to MMA for a fight or two. Also, now that he cleared a couple of big UFC names, the fans might see him targeting retired boxers that would further add legitimacy to his skills.
With a couple of more wins, he might box out a chance to fight a top-ranking boxer for a massive paycheck. In the end, if his brother Logan Paul who only fought YouTuber KSI twice was capable of securing a match against Floyd Mayweather, why would people think Jake won’t?
