Controversial boxing figure Jake Paul is once again drawing attention with his recent comments about his upcoming return to the ring, particularly a comparison he made that has been widely criticized.
Paul is scheduled to fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., son of boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., on June 28th in Anaheim. This marks his return bout following his unanimous decision victory over Mike Tyson in November.
Although Chavez Jr. is a former world champion with a 54-6-1 record, many observers feel he is past his prime for this fight. His last bout was a win against former UFC fighter Uriah Hall in July of last year.
The announcement of this fight by Paul and Most Valuable Promotions has received mixed reactions. In addressing the criticism, Paul drew a comparison to Paddy Pimblett`s performance against Michael Chandler at UFC 314.
Fans React to Jake Paul`s Controversial Comparison
In a video shared on Most Valuable Promotions` social media, Paul responded to critics:
“Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is a former world champion, a cruiserweight world champion. The same weight as me, the same size as me, and 20 years more pro boxing experience than me. For you inbreds, let’s get the excuses out of the way.
“Last week, Paddy Pimblett beat Michael Chandler, and the whole world lost their mind, but not a single person mentioned Michael Chandler’s age. That’s because he’s still within his prime ages, the same age as Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
“If people didn’t have a problem with Paddy, then why do they have a problem with me? When I beat him, don’t even try to cry about his age.”
Fight fans quickly responded to Paul`s claims, largely criticizing his perspective. Here are some reactions from the comments:
“No one cares about Jake Paul. He’s fading out.”
“But he hasn’t been in the ring for awhile and is way older than u? If you want credit soo d— bad why didn’t u rematch Tommy Fury? Same age as you,”
“‘Former’ is the key word here…enough said.”
“We cooked this man into making a 40 minutes video.”
“When you have to make a video convincing people he’s a good fighter……”
“Looks like there might be trouble selling the fight.”
“When you gone fight somebody that’s in their prime? An actual boxer!??”
“You always need to put up a full debate case for each of ur opponents.”
Throughout his 11-1 boxing career, Paul has often faced criticism regarding the caliber of his opponents, which include former UFC fighters like Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva, and Nate Diaz, as well as others with limited boxing backgrounds.
Context and Other Recent Jake Paul News
In earlier stages of their careers, Chavez Jr. fought Canelo Alvarez, with Alvarez securing a unanimous decision win. When announcing his fight with Chavez Jr., Paul incorrectly claimed Alvarez did not beat Chavez Jr. dominantly.
This statement led to X`s community notes fact-checking Paul, as Alvarez won the fight clearly on the scorecards.
Interestingly, Chavez Jr. reportedly chose the fight against Paul over a potential bout with KSI, one of Paul`s YouTube boxing rivals. KSI had a cancelled fight against Dillon Danis earlier this year and has recently hinted at retiring.
Prior to the Chavez Jr. announcement, there were brief discussions about a fight between Paul and Anthony Joshua, despite a large size disparity. Talks with Canelo Alvarez were also reportedly advanced before Alvarez signed a major deal with Riyadh Season and Turki Alalshikh.
