Infamous YouTuber Jake Paul is now an undefeated professional boxer with an immaculate 3-0 record. Love him or hate him, we all can’t deny that he might just be boxing’s hottest ticket at the moment.
Following that brutal one-round knockout of former UFC contender Ben Askren at the main event of Triller Fight Club pay-per-view last Saturday, the only question for Paul is what’s next?
Or more importantly, who’s next?
Despite all the negative publicity attached to the 24-year-old online personality’s name, he’s a cash cow right now.
His last fight reportedly reached 1.3 million PPV buys and generated $75 million dollars (or so he said).
It comes as no surprise that several prominent personalities have already lined up to box the brash internet star.
Apart from getting a chance to bash his face in, a lot of people want to get their hands on that big-time moolah.
Win or lose, a fight with Paul will generate enough hype for an instant paycheck. Just look at Ben Askren’s smile after the match. He knew his bank account just got a whole lot fatter despite getting knocked out.
Obviously, there are a lot of possibilities floating around right now. A rematch with former NBA player Nate Robinson, who Paul already finished to oblivion last year, is reportedly on the horizon.
Another retired NBA player, Kendall Gill, who has boxing experience of his own, also wants a crack at Paul.
For sure, there will be more celebrities or athletes who would want to put Paul in his place. Let’s have a look at four people Jake Paul should considering fighting next.
The fight we want to see (but highly unlikely): Tyron Woodley
Paul waged war on the MMA community when he challenged and eventually humiliated grappling specialist Ben Askren. As far as his dream fight goes, Paul really wants to fight Conor McGregor. Heck, he even pulled off a cringey McGregor impression in his weigh-in against Askren.
However, this potential bout would probably nothing more than a pipe dream at the moment.
However, another UFC Welterweight has entered the Jake Paul conversation. Former UFC 170-lb. titleholder Tyron Woodley has already proclaimed his desire to add Paul to his list of knockout victims.
The Chosen One was even videotaped arguing with Paul’s team backstage before his fight with Askren. Paul even had the nerve to challenge UFC two-division champ Daniel Cormier.
If Paul really wants to cement himself as a legitimate boxer, defeating a feared KO artist and an ex-UFC champion like Woodley is the way to go.
While T-Wood also came from a wrestling background, he has evolved into one of the best stand-up fighters in the Welterweight division. His boxing is crisp, while his fists carry enough power to put anyone to sleep.
Sure, Woodley also has no experience in the ring, but he does have 19 wins in MMA with seven of those coming by knockouts.
He also just turned 39 years old and already past his prime. Paul should take advantage of this chance, right?
Paul, however, will likely wait until Woodley is older and out of shape (ala Askren) before he agrees to a fight against a terrifying power puncher like T-Wood.
Probable fight, (but still a long shot): BJ Penn or Dillon Danis
If Paul wants a big name/low-risk type of fight, BJ Penn is his guy. The 42-year-old UFC icon has already revealed his desire to “knock this fu**er out in one round”.
Hey @triller send me a contract and I will happily knock this fucker out in one round 💯 https://t.co/JSP5lNh9xh
— bjpenndotcom (@bjpenndotcom) April 18, 2021
Paul would obviously be no match for The Prodigy in his prime. But safe to say the Hawaiian’s best fighting days are already behind him. Aside from his world-class jiu-jitsu, Penn does have good hands with seven of his 16 professional wins coming by knockout.
Then again, boxing is a different animal and Penn hasn’t fought professionally since 2019. If he wants to take on an MMA legend well past his prime, BJ is the fight to make.
Paul, however, also shares a rivalry with another MMA fighter, Dillon Danis. He’s around Paul’s age at just 27 years old and is actually a protégé of Conor McGregor.
let me save the mma community
— Dillon Danis (@dillondanis) April 18, 2021
Fighting Danis could be a stepping stone for Paul to finally fight McGregor, right? The pair even figured in a viral prank earlier this year.
While Danis is still in his prime, he’s kind of like Askren since he’s also more of a grappler than a striker.
Who Paul SHOULD fight: Tommy Fury
As much as we want to see Heavyweight kingpin Tyson Fury knock some sense to Paul he’s a tad bigger than “The Problem Child”.
His younger brother, Tommy Fury, though, is about Paul’s size. The undefeated light heavyweight boxer (5-0) has already claimed he’s ready to give the people what they want.
I’m ready to give the people what they want. @jakepaul
— Tommy Fury (@tommytntfury) April 18, 2021
ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith recently said that Paul should face a legitimate boxer this time. Not former basketball players or retired MMA fighters. The only way he’ll truly earn the respect of the fighting community is if he shares the ring with a true boxer in his prime.
That’s the only way he can measure himself against a true pro.
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