Does a win over Andre August grant Jake Paul a road to boxing championship like he claims?

This Friday, December 15, will mark Jake Paul's return to the squared circle of boxing since his rebound win over Nate Diaz back on August 5. But this time, he won't be facing an aging MMA fighter on a career downswing. Instead, he will take on Andre August, a professional boxer with few miles on his body.

The last time 'The Problem Child' faced an opponent dedicated to 'The Sweet Science' of boxing was his split-decision loss to Tommy Fury. The bout gave his record its first-ever blemish. Paul, however, has claimed that his matchup with August is his first step toward a world championship.

It isn't the first time that the 26-year-old has staked his claim to a future world title in the sport. While Paul is a big believer in both his skills and potential as a boxer, enthroning himself as a world champion would be the tallest task of his career.

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Analyzing Jake Paul, the boxer

Every boxer is a well of potential. The same is true for Jake Paul. However, to evaluate his future prospects of capturing a world title, his current boxing ability must be studied. Unfortunately, 'The Problem Child' leaves a lot to be desired, but not much can be expected of him, as he has less than six years of experience.

First, the positives. Paul is fairly powerful, possessing a dynamite right hand that has either stunned or dropped everyone he has faced thus far. In fact, four of his seven wins came by way of knockout/TKO. Not only does he have natural knockout power, but he sets up his trademark overhand right well.

'The Problem Child' measures the distance with his jab, using it to inform him of his opponent's position. In short, if he can hit his foe with the jab, he can hit him with his right hand. Furthermore, he tends to only throw his overhand right when he has the time and space to throw it with optimal leverage and power.

Check out Jake Paul's knockdown of Anderson Silva in the clip below:

Paul also makes it a point to step in deep with his jab, adding significant power behind it. He also showed surprising variety in his game against Tommy Fury. After struggling to land his right hand, he resorted to catching the Englishman with a check left hook.

However, it is that fight that exposed most of Paul's limitations. Against old fighters on a physical decline like Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley, the 26-year-old seems fine. But against a quick, athletic fighter like Fury, who isn't shot by age and years of damage, he was surprisingly flat-footed and slow.

Paul doesn't throw in combinations and ducks his head every time he steps in deep with a jab, which causes him to telegraph the blow and led to him being countered by Fury. Additionally, his lack of combinations was a poor match for Fury's high-volume style, as it forced Paul to fight far more defensively.

Check out highlights for Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury in the clip below:

This was largely due to his poor cardio, which is why 'The Problem Child' generally refrains from throwing in combinations. However, his low-volume approach allows his opponents to score free points, and he risks losing fights or at least having more competitive bouts than he should against foes he can't knock out.

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So how does Jake Paul fare against Andre August, and what would a win mean for his future?

While Jake Paul has seven wins and one loss, Andre August has 10 wins, one draw, and one defeat. While their records suggest a similar level of experience, August has actually been boxing at a professional level for much longer, having had his first bout in 2013.

In addition to being a professional boxer for nearly twice as long as Paul, August also started training at a younger age. The last time Paul faced a comparatively skilled professional boxer without the wear and tear of age and a long MMA career, he lost and faced real strategic and tactical dilemmas.

However, there's a key difference between August and a fighter like Fury: knockout power. While both men have a similar number of knockouts on their records, August's stoppages have been more emphatic, and he has more natural power. He can, if the chips fall into place, hurt Jake Paul.

Against August, Paul won't have the luxury of someone too hampered by a physical decline to be defensively sharp. August will know what to do. He is only 35 years old, and has taken part in just 10 bouts across 10 years, but has kept up with his training, learning new tricks and sharpening his existing ones.

If Jake Paul manages to defeat him, it will more than likely be via split decision. And at 26 years old, barely scraping past a 35-year-old doesn't bode well for his future prospects as a world champion. While it is perfectly acceptable and even expected of novice boxers to face opponents like August, Paul's case is different.

'The Problem Child's' case is different. He is not a teenager with a breadth of amateur experience carving out the initial stages of his professional career. He is four years away from turning 30, with just 8 fights on his professional record. Thus, nothing less than a dominant performance or outright knockout will suffice.

A split-decision win over August would almost certainly mean Paul won't get anywhere near a world championship, especially given that competition will only grow more difficult going forward.