ORLANDO, Fla. – The news that Jake Paul will be facing Gervonta Davis in Atlanta on November 14 has elicited an almost universally vituperative response from boxing fans, angered by Davis swerving a rematch with Lamont Roach Jnr, and Paul fighting a man who weighs approximately 70lbs less than him.

For those critics, Paul has a message:

“Because, first of all, they’re tuning in,” he said. “They’re all going to watch it. And you know what I say to people is, if you don’t like something, don’t talk about it, because you’re just making it bigger. But at the end of the day, people are always going to have something to say about every single one of my fights.”

Far from being apologetic about the weight difference, Paul leaned into it, arguing that it made the matchup that much more intriguing, given Davis’ experience and quality.

“I’m fighting one of the top 10 pound-for-pound fighters,” said Paul, 12-1 (7 KOs). “This is a bigger risk for Gervonta than it was for, you know, Floyd [Mayweather] and Conor [McGregor] in that matchup [in 2017]. Conor wasn’t a boxer. Conor didn’t have a weight advantage. So Gervonta is taking a bigger risk than Floyd, in my opinion, and it’s credit to him because of that weight difference. And that’s what makes this a good, even fight, is his skill and experience being top 10 pound-for-pound, and then my weight and height advantage.”

Despite being a natural cruiserweight, Paul expressed an interest in facing Davis, 30-0-1 (28 KOs), as early as four years ago, when he was just three fights into a pro career that few expected to become as big as it has. So what is it about Baltimore’s Davis that has consistently drawn Paul’s interest?

“I think there are few names in the sport who draw crowds and are entertaining and are actually great fighters,” Paul explained. “And so it always intrigued me to have a matchup with him, because I like to do big events. I like to have a challenge for myself. And I always saw that in my sights as something that was very possible and something that was a fight that I could win. And so when you put two electric people in a ring like this, it’s one plus one equals three. And that’s what’s exciting about it.“

Is having that X-factor and the ability to draw crowds the most important consideration when it comes to buying a ticket to the Paul sweepstakes? Is the aspiring cruiserweight champion actually interested in facing, say, a less-than-famous but capable cruiserweight contender?

“Well, I am if they have a belt,” he said with a laugh. “They don’t have to have a name if they have a belt, which we are trying to make happen. But I’m also not in a rush. You know, I’m 28. I’ve always been honest about my career. I’m going to do the crazy, entertaining, big fights, and then I’m going to fight champions: former world champions like Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr, and I want Badou Jack. I want all of these people. So, really, time is my only enemy in making all these fights happen and lining them up. But I’m just having fun, and everyone can get the smoke eventually.”

Fun seems to be the operative word when it comes to how Paul views his boxing career. It is hard to escape the feeling at times that he is thoroughly enjoying poking the bear and drawing the ire of the boxing establishment.

“Yeah, 100 percent, man,” he replied to a suggestion that he was simply having a good time with this most improbable of careers.

“I love it, especially these types of fights. It just brings me alive. And just the entertainment value of it all, and the trolling and the training and the locking in, and just getting to entertain America is something that I think I was born to do.”

Love him or hate him – and there are plenty of people in both camps – there is no denying the massive impact Paul has had on the sport, for better or worse. And it begs the question of what exactly it says about him – and indeed about boxing – that he has been able to be such an effective disruptor and arguably the sport’s biggest draw, even as he has refused to follow the tried-and-tested path of working his way steadily up the ladder.

“I think it says a lot about the power of the mind and manifesting things into reality, and what’s possible when you do that and you put in the work to match it,” he asserted. “But then also having God-given talent, to also be able to compete with these guys who’ve been doing it their whole lives. I’ve always been underestimated, and I will continue to prove people wrong, and I will beat Gervonta Davis.

“But it also shows that boxing needed to be changed and done differently, and that’s how I always saw it. The analogy I use is, boxing was a taxi and we’re Uber, and we’re putting on fights that people actually want to see, and they keep on getting bigger and bigger and bigger.

“And being the first people to ever partner with Netflix on a streaming platform is unprecedented, and then you see everyone trying to follow suit. So we’re just always one step ahead of the game, and we always see what’s next.”

Kieran Mulvaney has written, broadcast and podcast about boxing for HBO, Showtime, ESPN and Reuters, among other outlets. He presently co-hosts the “Fighter Health Podcast” with Dr. Margaret Goodman. He also writes regularly for National Geographic, has written several books on the Arctic and Antarctic, including most recently Arctic Passages: Ice, Exploration, and the Battle for Power at the Top of the World, and is at his happiest hanging out with wild polar bears. His website is www.kieranmulvaney.com.