Talking about Jake Paul as a successful boxing promoter is one thing.
Don’t confuse that with calling him a real boxer.
Following the revealing dismantling of Paul by two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua last week on Netflix, “BoxingScene Today” analysts Chris Algieri and Paulie Malignaggi scorched Paul’s performance on Monday’s episode on ProBox TV.
“It was not entertaining at all. It was frustrating, but how else did you expect Jake Paul to fight?” former 140lbs titleholder Algieri wondered. “At no point did he try to win. […] He did not endear himself to boxing fans. Jake Paul was just trying to survive.”
Despite some revisionist analysis by those connected to Friday’s show, boxers and candid analysts see this as the end of Paul’s talk of becoming a champion – even at cruiserweight.
“Once I saw the big ring, I knew he’d run for his life. He would’ve got knocked out in the first round,” former junior welterweight and welterweight titleholder Malignaggi said. “You got no respect as a fighter. This clown would do this [diving and backpedaling] for eight rounds if he could’ve.
“The shamelessness of his approach is what bothers me most. You’re going to be a fighter? Don’t make an ass of yourself and the sport. You were totally content to steal money from everyone by running for eight rounds. Nobody’s respecting that.”
Paul’s jaw was ultimately fractured twice by Joshua’s hellish sixth-round power right hand that sent the exhausted YouTuber barreling to the canvas.
Afterward, his Most Valuable Promotions partner Nakisa Bidarian sought to praise Paul’s courage and willingness to fight a bigger man. And while people are entitled to embrace that thought as their takeaway, many others were reminded of the phrase “You don’t play boxing,” and have now finally seen the difference between a world-class opponent and the retreads with names that Paul has summoned for his prior entertainment-fight shows.
Algieri thought Joshua performed somewhat flat by his standards in returning from a long layoff following his knockout loss to Daniel Dubois and surgery.
“How can you use the jab when the other guy’s running away?” Malignaggi asked.
Algieri said the showing did nothing to dampen the fervent interest in a Joshua-Tyson Fury fight in England.
“That fight has to happen. Tyson Fury sees that fight and says, ‘Why wouldn’t I fight that guy?’” Algieri said. “We know they’re not at the apex of their careers, but that fight needs to happen, and I think it does very well.”
Paul, meanwhile, is due for a long layoff that will require teeth to be replanted while resetting his ambitions – even though he spoke of seeking a cruiserweight belt and even as Canelo Alvarez’s trainer-manager Eddy Reynoso attended his second consecutive Paul fight in person.
“There’s space for an Andrew Tate fight, but to take punches again, he might be gun-shy … there might be some PTSD,” Malignaggi assessed.
“As a fighter, him doing that – being content to steal the bag, to make a mockery of the sport – was really disappointing,” Malignaggi said.
The analysts both praised Paul’s promotional and marketing skills, and they said he has great promise in continuing to showcase women’s championship fights.
The entertainment fights against the likes of Conor McGregor or Tate also could continue.
As for the talk of being a world champion, keep the jaw wired shut.
