Jake Paul will finally be tested on Sunday night in Cleveland when he battles former UFC champion Tyron Woodley, who will make his boxing debut at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland(Showtime PPV).
Paul(3-0, 3 KOs), who made his name on Youtube and the Disney Channel, has beaten a former basketball player in Nate Robinson, another Youtuber in Ali Eson Gib, and a washed-up MMA fighter in Ben Askren, but now, Paul can prove that he’s a legitimate boxer against Woodley.
Paul and Woodley faced off on Thursday and continued their war of words during a heated final press conference as the two fight camps nearly came to blows.
According to Paul, the 39-year-old Woodley won’t be a problem for him, and he expects to show off some new skills on Sunday night.
“Tyron Woodley is ‘The Chosen One’; we chose him to get his a** beat,” Paul said. “None of his accomplishments matter on Sunday night. I’m sending him into retirement and turning him into a meme. People are going to see all of my skills. People are going to be surprised. I haven’t shown anything yet. I might come out southpaw. This is my coming-out party.
“It’s going to be another show on Sunday. I’m putting on another masterful performance and a boxing clinic. This guy is going to sleep and getting turned into another meme, just like his friend Ben Askren. After Sunday, nobody is ever going to talk about Woodley ever again. He’s a speed bump on the road of my career.”
Paul, 24, has turned himself into one of the biggest names in boxing, and while he did not expect to get to this point, he hopes to put himself in position to fight the biggest name in boxing, Canelo Alvarez.
“When I started boxing, I didn’t think I’d be here this fast.,” Paul said. “My original goal was to fight Conor McGregor or Floyd Mayweather because I knew I would have a big enough pay-per-view draw to do those things. Now I want to become world champion. I want to fight and beat Canelo Alvarez. This has been a fast, quick roller coaster ride, but I didn’t expect to be here. I just knew I loved fighting, and I knew I was good at it.”
Paul has a long way to go in terms of fighting Alvarez, but there’s no denying his popularity, and a win on Sunday makes his name even bigger.
Also on the card, Puerto Rican star Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano will defend her featherweight titles against super bantamweight champion Yamileth Mercado in the co-feature of the PPV telecast, which begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
Former world champion Ivan Baranchyk returns to take on unbeaten Cleveland-native Montana Love in a 10-round super lightweight fight, while U.K. stars Daniel “Dynamite” Dubois and Tommy “TNT” Fury make their U.S. debuts in separate bouts, as Dubois faces Juiseppe Angelo Cusumano in a 10-round heavyweight fight, while Fury duels Anthony Taylor in a six-round showdown.
In action taking place prior to the pay-per-view, undefeated Cleveland-native and 2016 U.S. Olympian Charles Conwell squares off against unbeaten Juan Carlos Rubio in a 10-round super welterweight tilt.
Photo: Amanda Westcott/SHOWTIME
