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Social media star Jake Paul is currently one of the most divisive figures in combat sports, and right now he seems happy to stir the pot with both MMA fighters and with boxers.
Jake Paul is scheduled to fight former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in a boxing match this weekend, but he already has a ‘hit list’ of his future opponents in mind.
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The list consists of Woodley, plus a further nine other potential opponents, ranging from UFC fighters to professional boxers and beyond.
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So will Jake Paul actually get his wish and fight any of these opponents? Or is the YouTube star dreaming when it comes to some of these potential fights?
With this in mind, here is a look at each fighter on Jake Paul’s ‘hit list’ – and whether or not the YouTube star really has a chance of fighting them.
#8. Canelo Alvarez vs. Jake Paul
The biggest name on Jake Paul’s list from the world of boxing is undoubtedly Canelo Alvarez. Not only is the Mexican currently ranked as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world by the majority of fans, but he’s also the holder of the WBA, WBC and WBO super middleweight titles.
Canelo has lost just once in his 16-year professional career – to Floyd Mayweather in 2013 – and since ‘Money’ has retired, the Mexican has largely taken his position as boxing’s biggest drawing fighter.
A potential fight between Jake Paul and Alvarez would undoubtedly draw a tremendous amount of money on pay-per-view, but will it ever happen? To be honest, it’s doubtful.
Canelo hasn’t really spoken out against Paul despite the YouTuber calling him out on numerous occasions, but he did hint at his opinions in an interview following Paul’s win over Ben Askren.
Alvarez stated his concerns over the growing trend for ‘celebrity’ boxing matches, and labelled Mayweather’s fight with Logan Paul as “stupid.”
Add in the fact that Canelo seems fully focused on building a true legacy against other top boxers, and it seems that this potential fight is highly unlikely to ever happen.
#7. Conor McGregor vs. Jake Paul
A fight between Jake Paul and the UFC’s biggest star Conor McGregor was first spoken of in late 2020 when ‘The Problem Child’ began to call out the Irishman with some seriously insulting material.
At the time, however, a fight between the two – either in the boxing ring or the octagon – seemed highly unlikely. UFC President Dana White has stated his disdain for Paul on numerous occasions and of course, McGregor is under a lengthy contract with the promotion.
But since then, McGregor has lost twice in the UFC to Dustin Poirier, and his MMA career seems thoroughly on the rocks. ‘The Notorious’ megastar needs an opponent he can beat, and quickly – so could Paul be that man?
Stranger things have happened. The fight won’t be in the UFC, that’s for sure, but the promotion did let McGregor fight Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match, and a McGregor/Paul bout would draw an insane amount of money – with the UFC naturally taking a huge cut.
Right now this fight seems doubtful, but if Paul defeats Woodley this weekend, it might just be possible.
#6. Nick or Nate Diaz vs. Jake Paul
Like a fight between Conor McGregor and Jake Paul, a fight involving ‘The Problem Child’ and either one of the Diaz brothers is highly unlikely due to their status as contracted UFC fighters.
Both Nick and Nate Diaz would actually make for good foes for Paul, as they both possess some of the better boxing skills in the world of MMA – and yet their age, their size and damage they’ve already taken would arguably make them beatable opponents for the YouTuber.
However, they’re among two of the UFC’s bigger drawing cards right now, and there’s practically zero chance of Dana White ever allowing them to step into the boxing ring with ‘The Problem Child’.
If one of them could get out of their UFC contract, of course, that would change, particularly as Nate Diaz has already hit out at Paul on Twitter.
Right now, though, it seems unlikely.
#5. KSI vs. Jake Paul
KSI has plenty of history with the world of YouTube boxing and with Jake Paul’s brother Logan in particular. The London-based social media influencer has fought Logan twice in the boxing ring, drawing with him in an amateur bout in 2018 before defeating him in a professional match in 2019.
And KSI already has plenty of beef with Jake Paul, as the two men went nose-to-nose following Paul’s win over fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib in 2020, teasing a potential fight in the future.
Since then, though, KSI’s burgeoning music career has taken off, with tracks charting and doing well in both the UK and USA. And he’s also reportedly making plenty of money from his investments in cryptocurrency.
The fact that KSI is more of an amateur fighter than a dangerous professional probably makes this one of the more likely bouts on this list to actually happen.
However, KSI seems like a busy man right now and Jake Paul himself has admitted that the fight seems doubtful.
Still, if KSI’s profile in the music world were to slide in the near future, don’t be surprised to see him dust off his gloves for a fight with ‘The Problem Child’.
#4. Tommy Fury vs. Jake Paul
The half-brother of WBC heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury, Tommy Fury’s presence on Jake Paul’s ‘hit list’ probably has far more to do with his presence as a reality TV star than it does his actual boxing skills.
That isn’t to say Fury is a bad boxer per say. At just 22 years old, he’s already 6-0 in the squared circle and could easily develop into a high-level fighter in the future.
However, right now Fury is undoubtedly better known for his stint on Love Island – one of the UK’s biggest reality shows – and his massive social media profile makes him a perfect potential foe for Jake Paul.
The two are already linked as Fury is all set to fight on the undercard of this weekend’s Paul vs. Woodley event, squaring off with American fighter Anthony Taylor.
So if Fury wins in impressive fashion, could he find himself opposite Jake Paul in his next fight, assuming ‘The Problem Child’ gets past Tyron Woodley of course?
It seems entirely possible. Both men have a similar level of experience after all, even if Fury is the more proven boxer. Of all the fights on this list, this one seems the most likely to happen sooner rather than later.
#3. Kamaru Usman vs. Jake Paul
Along with Canelo Alvarez, current UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman probably stands as the most unlikely opponent for Jake Paul on his ‘hit list’.
Firstly, like Conor McGregor and the Diaz brothers, Usman is under a lengthy contract with the UFC. But unlike those fighters, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ is a current UFC titleholder, meaning that any chance of the promotion allowing him to take a boxing match with Paul would be highly slim.
More to the point, Usman would probably be gaining nothing from the fight anyway. Sure, it’d be a chance for him to earn a lot of money, but given that he’s better known for his grappling than his boxing, it’d be a pointless risk for him to take.
Usman has suggested that a fight with Paul could be fun, and has also taken to Twitter to threaten him.
However, he simply seems too focused on fighting real contenders to bother with the clash right now, and his UFC contract is too much of a stumbling block too.
#2. Gervonta Davis vs. Jake Paul
Another highly unlikely foe for Jake Paul – at least in the immediate future – is Gervonta Davis. In fact, it’s pretty outrageous that Paul even has ‘Tank’ on his ‘hit list’, to the point where it’s worth questioning the seriousness of the entire thing.
Davis is undoubtedly a truly fantastic boxer. He’s held multiple world titles in three different weight classes and holds an impressive record of 25-0 with 24 knockouts to his name.
However, ‘Tank’ is also the reigning WBA super lightweight champion, and has only fought as heavy as 140 pounds before. Given that he stands at just 5’5” – making him eight inches shorter than Jake Paul – it’s unlikely that he’d be able to pack on a lot of size.
And with Paul fighting as a cruiserweight – with a limit of 200 pounds – the idea of him clashing with a fighter potentially 40 pounds lighter than him is ludicrous.
Davis has responded to appearing on Paul’s ‘hit list’, but even then he didn’t sound too enthusiastic about the idea of facing him, meaning this clash is hugely unlikely.
#1. Logan Paul vs. Jake Paul
Perhaps the most surprising name on Jake Paul’s ‘hit list’ was that of his older brother Logan. After all, the two brothers are seemingly close, and Logan famously congratulated Jake following his win over AnEsonGib in 2020.
However, like all brothers, the two have also been at one another’s throats at times, with Jake claiming he’d slept with Logan’s ex-girlfriend and also labeling him a “fake fighter”, while Logan slammed Jake for the incident that saw him arrested following a looting incident in 2020.
And it’s not like combat sports don’t have a history when it comes to brother vs. brother fights. They are rare, but many MMA promoters have attempted to match Frank and Ken Shamrock against one another, for instance, while the premise of the 2011 movie Warrior was built around a similar bout.
Add in the fact that Logan has outright stated that he feels like a bout with Jake is “inevitable,” and the fact that the brothers’ legions of fans would mean the fight would draw mega-money, and it seems likely that we’ll see it at some point.
Of course, there’s the chance that Paul vs. Paul could turn into a glorified sparring match, but would that really matter? To their millions of fans, of course not. So regardless of whether he wins or loses against Woodley, this could be the next focus for Jake Paul.
