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Fans might not like it, but Jake Paul is a ranked cruiserweight contender following his win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Paul's controversial placement in the World Boxing Association's official rankings has been met with harsh criticism, particularly from one of the fighters he surpassed, Craig Parker.
Parker, 34, was surprised to see his number drop from No. 14 to No. 15 during the latest release, and even more shocked to see it was Paul who took his former spot. Unlike Paul's critics, Parker is not opposed to the former YouTuber's professional career, but he found the WBA's decision to rank him “disgusting,” he told TMZ.
“The first thing that came to my news feed was Jake Paul ranked No. 14 by the WBA — where I was ranked,” Parker said. “So I was ranked No. 14 by the WBA; it moved me down to No. 15. All the hard work I put in over the years. It's a struggle to get to be ranked in the WBA, or by any belt. So for him just to take a position that, you know, guys like me struggle [and] it's a long road to be where we're at. And for him just to be No. 14, it was just like a slap in the face. It was very disgusting news to me.”
Parker earned his ranking after improving to 20-0 with a knockout win over Phillip Penson in April. While he has yet to face a formidable opponent, he has finished each of his professional victories.
Conversely, Paul, 12-1, has faced much bigger names in his career, but has yet to face a true test at cruiserweight. The main criticism of his career is his tendency to fight opponents who are significantly smaller and past their prime.
Craig Parker calls Jake Paul an “exhibition” fighter
Paul is currently a ranked contender in the WBA, but not in any other governing body. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman previously noted he would have ranked Paul if he beat Tommy Fury in 2023 before ‘El Gallo' suffered his lone career defeat.
While critical of his WBA ranking, Parker still appreciates the work Paul does for the business of boxing. Parker simply believes Paul's bouts should be counted as exhibition fights, so fans can view his career separately from that of legitimate contenders.
“You know the whole thing about Jake Paul bringing new eyes to boxing is a great thing,” Parker said. “Doing the exhibition things, the celebrity beef, and letting them square off in the middle of the ring, that was great. We just thought this was gonna be like mostly exhibitions, and then it turned into like this going on the record as real fights, and we're like, what?”
Despite what fans say, Paul continues to claim that he is on a quest to become a world champion. The WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion, Gilberto Ramirez, defended his titles against Yuniel Dorticos in the co-main event of Paul's most recent fight card.
