ANAHEIM, California – Jake Paul’s five-year-long boxing journey has ushered him to a Saturday night pay-per-view event that has him on the doorstep of a stunning transformation from YouTuber to boxing title challenger.
With unified cruiserweight champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez defending his belts in the DAZN-streamed co-main event at Honda Center versus Cuba’s Yuniel Dorticos and WBC cruiserweight champion Badou Jack, 41, conveniently poised in wait after a May victory, Paul, 11-1 (7 KOs), meets former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr.
“It’s a good test to see where I’m at and proving a lot of people wrong, [providing] my toughest test [and] my most experienced fighter to date,” Paul said. “I’m excited to show the world what I’m capable of.
“To become world champion, I need to become ranked. Beating Chavez in great fashion, we’ll see where the WBC and WBA rank me, and then hopefully I’ll be able to go for a world title.”
Paul flashed a sculpted frame during his Wednesday appearance at the public workouts at House of Blues, and said his fitness and boxing skills have elevated to peak values.
“Everything is clicking more and more. Statistically, this was my best camp – lowest heart rate, the sparring and [performance on] runs,” he said. “Every month I’m in this sport, I get exponentially better.”
While currently an outsider among the sanctioning body rankings, Paul’s position could shoot upward by the main-event triumph versus the son of the all-time Mexican great.
The WBC this spring moved Manny Pacquiao from retired to No. 5 in its welterweight rankings to provide him a July 19 title shot at Mario Barrios Jnr, and WBA President Gilberto Ramirez is close to Paul, staging his December WBA convention in unison with a fight card from Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions at an Orlando hotel in December.
Jack wears the WBC, Ramirez owns the WBA and WBO straps.
“Either one of them can get it,” Paul said.
Most Valuable Promotions head Nakisa Bidarian thought Ramirez, 47-1 (30 KOs), left something to be desired by using his public workout to flash his two belts.
“I don’t know if ‘Zurdo’ deserves Jake Paul,” Bidarian said. “Seriously, he just came out there and just walked around with his belts. Didn’t even put on a show for the fans. Jake wants to fight people who are going to rise to his level and show the fan base what it means to be a boxer and get people excited. I was so disappointed in what I saw in ‘Zurdo.’ It’s your chance to show everybody why you should be fighting Jake Paul next. Instead, we’re showing belts.”
Paul also flashed the world-class gift of gab that has propelled his YouTube account to 20.9 million followers, targeting undisputed super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, the boxer’s new benefactor Turki Alalshikh of Saudi Arabia and UFC CEO and Zuffa Boxing head Dana White.
Paul said he remains convinced Alvarez will fight him, especially if Paul can “get ranked, get the cruiserweight championship … that way, [four-division champion] Canelo can fight for the cruiserweight championship.”
While Alvarez recently said he would destroy Paul, he was met by resistance.
“He’s 5-8,” the 6-1 Paul said. “If I see that guy anywhere, I’ll end his life. He doesn’t want the smoke. I’ll beat him in boxing, and if it was man-on-man in the street, I’ll rip his heart out.”
Paul was in February talks to fight Alvarez before he said Alalshikh interfered and “I … definitely know they threatened to pull his multi-$100-million contract if he were to fight me.”
Paul said Alalshikh, Alvarez and his September 13 opponent, Terence Crawford, were “corny” to stage a dinner meeting at the first of their three press tour stops in Saudi Arabia last week.
“Imagine if Ronaldo and Messi were having dinner before the World Cup?” Paul asked. “That’s not the way real competitors [behave] … I would never engage in those types of activities.”
Asked his thoughts on Alalshikh, Paul said, “There’s been a lot of good – and bad. I respect him for allowing the big fights to happen, but I feel the money he’s infused into the sport has definitely been harmful and had a trickle-down effect, where fighters are expecting big pay days and definitely don’t deserve it.
“I wish there were more fights in the U.S., because I don’t believe people really watch the overseas fights. I want boxing to be as big as possible and influence the next generation.”
Bidarian added, “For us [at MVP], we have an ethos of fighter-first. If anyone comes in and truly and genuinely puts the fighters first, we’re always going to be supportive of that. You have to make your own conclusion if that’s what [Alalshikh and the Saudi Arabians] are.”
Lastly, Bidarian called White a “blatant” liar for claiming he didn’t know Paul-Chavez Jnr was going the same night as a minor UFC show.
“He pays attention to every little thing that Jake Paul does, to the 20th degree,” Bidarian said.
Paul dismissed White’s dig with his own.
“The UFC is dying. They don’t have any current stars. They have skillful fighters, but it’s all just become wrestling and boring fights – just take them to the ground,” Paul said. “All the Dagestani fighters are winning everything. No one wants to see that. By Saturday, everyone will know about [my fight].”
The leading reason?
“I’m on a path to a world championship,” Paul said. “The goal is to become a world champion.”
