ANAHEIM, California – Jake Paul and Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr enter their Saturday night DAZN pay-per-view bout at Honda Center on near equal footing – in weight, at least. Paul weighed in just under the cruiserweight limit at 199.4 pounds on Friday, with Chavez Jnr a shade lighter at 198.4.
Paul, 11-1 (7 KOs), is seeking to transform his career from successful YouTuber and celebrity boxer to world champion. He has said defeating his first former world-champion opponent in ex-middleweight titlist Chavez Jnr, 54-6-1 (34 KOs), could earn him a top-15 ranking by the WBA and/or WBC. This would qualify him for a title shot at either unified champion and Saturday co-main-event fighter Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez or 41-year-old WBC champion Badou Jack.
A ceremonial weigh-in expected to feature further comments from Paul and Chavez takes place at 6 p.m. Pacific time at Honda Center.
The California State Athletic Commission announced guaranteed purses for the card, reporting Paul will earn $300,000 before his pay-per-view profits are factored in while Chavez Jnr’s guarantee is $750,000. How much each fighter will make from the pay-per-view sales is undisclosed.
Ramirez, 47-1 (30 KOs), will earn a guaranteed $1.5 million to defend his WBA and WBO cruiserweight belts versus Cuba’s Yuniel Dorticos ($300,000 guarantee). Ramirez weighed 199.8lbs and Dorticos, 27-2 (25 KOs), weighed in at 198.6.
Among other guaranteed purses on the pay-per-view portion of the card, CSAC reports welterweight Raul Curiel earns $125,000 to opponent Victor Rodriguez’s $65,000, Floyd Schofield and lightweight foe Tevin Farmer are each guaranteed $125,000 and former UFC champion Holly Holm will earn a $100,000 guarantee versus her unbeaten opponent Yolanda Vega ($22,000).
Full weights for the card are below.
Welterweight - 10 rounds
Raul Curiel - 146.4lbs
Victor Rodriguez - 145.2lbs
Welterweight - 10 rounds
Avious Griffin - 146.8lbs
Julian Rodriguez - 146.6lbs
Lightweight - 10 rounds
Floyd Schofield -134.8lbs
Tevin Farmer - 135lbs
Lightweight - 10 rounds
Holly Holm - 136.6lbs
Yolanda Vega - 136.8lbs
Welterweight - 8 rounds
Joel Iriarte - 146.8lbs
Kevin Johnson - 146.4lbs
Bantamweight - 8 rounds
Alexander Gueche - 124lbs
Vincent Avina - 120lbs
*Fight will occur at revised weight limit
Heavyweight - 6 rounds
Joshua Edwards - 226lbs
Dominic Hardy - 251.4lbs
Junior lightweight - 10 rounds
Victor Morales Jnr - 130lbs
Rene Alvarado - 129.6lbs
Junior featherweight - 8 rounds
John Ramirez - 119.8lbs
Josue Jesus Morales - 121.6lbs
