WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol has showered Jake Paul with appreciation.
Paul entered the boxing ring for the first time against fellow YouTuber Ali Eson Gib, claiming a first-round TKO victory in 2020. Even 'The Problem Child' himself couldn't have foreseen that within merely three years, he'd be headlining significant boxing events for his own promotion, facing established opponents from the combat sports world.
The YouTuber turned boxer recently notched a first-round knockout against Andre August, securing his eighth professional victory. This event marked Paul's second face-off with a professional boxer, the initial one being his match against Tommy Fury in February, which he lost through a split decision.
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
During a recent interview with TMZ Sports, the undefeated Kyrgyzstani boxer lauded 'The Problem Child' for what he has accomplished in his brief career:
"To be honest, I like that the guy who's not boxer, he really loves the sport. We see he's training hard. I respect him for this. He's going and doing his fighting, he's not just like, 'I will beat everyone' and think like this."
Bivol added that he is currently not interested in a potential fight with Paul:
"My goal is not about money now, my goal is about belts."
Bivol is gearing up to defend his WBA title for the 11th time against Lyndon Arthur as part of Dazn's high-profile 'Day of Reckoning' card on Saturday, December 23 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Jake Paul teams up with USA Boxing for 2024 Paris Olympics
Jake Paul is collaborating with USA Boxing for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics scheduled for this summer.
As per a recent ESPN report, 'The Problem Child' is set to visit both the Olympic Training Center in Colorado and the Olympics alongside the boxing national team. His main objective is to document their activities on his social media platforms, aiming to increase awareness and popularity for the team, as well as for amateur boxing in generalPaul will offer guidance to athletes on building their public personas as well.
Jake Paul reflected on his partnership through a social media post, expressing gratitude for the opportunity. Part of his post read:
"I'm honored to partner with USA Boxing as the 2024 Paris Olympics approach. My commitment to boxing is much more than my in ring accomplishments. I am determined to make my impact outside the ring bigger than anything I do within it. I believe the United States has the best boxers. Let’s put it to the test."
Check out Jake Paul's post below: