| Another week, another contrived boxing match between non-boxers that will take up too much airspace and do little for the credibility of the sport. Or, depending on how you see it, another massive event that will reach an expansive audience, capture the imagination of superstars and social media influencers alike, and catapult boxing to a greater contemporary relevance. Wherever you stand on the topic of celebrity fights and the absolute proliferation of such contests over the past couple of years, there is little doubt that the concept’s primary trailblazer is the man headlining this weekend’s card. Jake Paul — YouTuber, loudmouth, multi-millionaire and opinion-divider supreme – will be in action in Tampa Bay, Florida, on Saturday night, fighting Tyron Woodley in a rematch of the August scrap between the pair that he won on points. “Celebrities are coming out left and right,” Paul told reporters. “People are even more excited to see me fight Tyron again and there are unanswered questions.” There have been, although they’re not entirely the questions Paul wanted people to be talking about. After he beat Woodley via split decision, there were queries raised as to whether the whole thing was above board, or merely a contrived result aimed at further boosting Paul’s juggernaut-like popularity and level of intrigue. Mixed martial arts fighter Dillon Danis, who infamously got into a cage-side fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov after Nurmagomedov submitted Conor McGregor in 2018, claimed recently that in the first bout, Woodley was contractually prohibited from knocking Paul out. Paul immediately and heatedly disputed that accusation and has now offered a $500,000 bonus for Woodley to KO him in the rematch, seeking to dispel rumors of impropriety that would surely scuttle pay-per-view sales. Or would they? “Not necessarily,” said Lance Pugmire of USA TODAY Sports+, who broke the news that Danis’ claims were, in fact, incorrect. “The thing to remember with Jake Paul is that it is a specific and unique audience we’re dealing with. His fans understand that it is a show and a story, but they want the story to play out to its maximum potential, which Paul understands is far more intensive than acting out one of his YouTube scripts.” The phenomenon of mass interest fights between non-traditional boxers became a thing in 2018, when Logan Paul – Jake’s brother – fought British rapper KSI. Neither of them were particularly accomplished in the ring. Jake Paul, however, has taken things to a new, hybrid level, and profited from it spectacularly. He’s not a world-class boxer, nor anything close to it, but there have been many far worse fighters who have competed professionally. Paul trains with fanatical intensity and is a knowledgeable student of the sport. “People just need to realize how serious I take this and how a lot of these other professional fighters don’t train as hard as me,” Paul added. “They’re not as prepared as me. “I’ve fought with a broken nose. I’ve fought sick. The list goes on. Last fight against Tyron, I had a hyperextended elbow. Didn’t say anything. Why? Because it doesn’t matter. I’m still going to go in there and find a way to win. That’s my motivation.” The earliest celebrity fights were really just the equivalent of watching an organized street brawl. It is different now. Paul does have some boxing chops and there are times when he’s looked really good in battle, albeit against opposition that has to date numbered YouTuber AnEsonGib, former NBA slam dunk champion Nate Robinson, MMA fighter Ben Askren and Woodley. But we will never know for sure what his capability is until he steps in against recognized guys, not athletes from different sports. Paul purports to be on a three-year plan that will end with him getting a shot at pound-for-pound king Canelo Alvarez, which would be laughable, except for the reality that money doesn’t just talk in boxing – it positively screams its head off. “I think there will probably come a time when Jake Paul steps in with someone who is just too good and classy and it gives him a wake-up moment about whether he really wants to be doing this,” Pugmire added. “But with a personality like that, you can never count them out. He is so convinced he is on this track and if he got anywhere near title contention, it would be a no-brainer of a fight to make – an absolute goldmine for everyone involved.” Meanwhile, Paul will continue doing what he’s doing; being noisy, fighting frequently, getting people’s attention by whatever means necessary. The boxing purists hate it, believing the celebrity fight craze to be the death of a sport that can be as compelling as any at its best but which has dropped off the mainstream radar outside of the elites. In one sense, it hardly seems fair that limited boxers like Paul and others can rake in huge checks while even some divisional world champions fight for sums that are tiny by comparison. However, that’s showbiz, that’s boxing and it’s also a reflection of modern life. In the broadest of terms, those capable of capturing the most sets of eyeballs will make the most money. Others in the combat world are quick to embrace it, reasoning that for a boxing match – any boxing match – to be seen by so many people, can only be a good thing. It is a wild time in the industry, confusing, confounding and possibly revolutionary. It is hard for the traditionalists to reconcile with, but the key thing here is that Paul’s target audience – young, admiring of bombast, accustomed to social media promotional shenanigans – gets it. Which leads us to the most remarkable unanswered question of all regarding Paul and Woodley. Not about whether the fight is real (and there’s no reason to suspect it isn’t), but if, to the hundreds of thousands expected to watch it, that even matters. |
