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Oscar De La Hoya, the former 11-time boxing world champion, has praised Jake Paul and his ability in the ring.
A lineal belt holder in three weight classes, 'The Golden Boy' has nothing but admiration for Paul. De La Hoya feels that the 25-year-old Cleveland native could even beat some of the current top fighters in the sport.
In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Jake Paul responded to the praise from De La Hoya and reiterated that his ability is finally being recognized as a professional athlete:
"He's right. I know it's cocky but he's right. I beat up world champions in sparring."
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He went on to say:
"I'm going to prove that I can beat world champions on the world stage."
It was certainly a bold statement from a man whose professional boxing career began just two years ago. However, the American now holds a record of five straight victories with wins over MMA champions Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren.
The former Disney Channel star hopes his boxing will be taken seriously. He believes that his latest triumph, a knockout win over 'The Chosen One', has done just that. It is hard to argue with Paul, whose performances are being noticed by former boxing greats.
You can watch Jake Paul's full TMZ Sports interview here:
Who's next for Jake Paul?
The boxing star has been very vocal about who he'd like to face as his next opponent. He's often teased a potential fight with Conor McGregor by provoking the former UFC lightweight champion on social media.
McGregor, who hasn't fought a boxing match since his 2017 defeat to Floyd Mayweather, responded to Paul after the American criticized his ability in a training video the Irishman shared.
It's still unclear as to whether or not this fight will happen. Conor McGregor is expected to return to the UFC, with Dana White not ruling out a lightweight title fight against Charles Oliveira in his comeback.
As of now, we don't know who is next for 'The Problem Child' in his boxing career. Regardless of the opponent, Paul will be hoping his performance can match the potential seen in him by Oscar De La Hoya.
