OPINION | Jake Paul has once again proved he doesn’t get it. For all the talk of building a legitimate boxing career, Paul has chosen to face a man he outweighs by a jaw-dropping seventy pounds.
Not a cruiserweight. Not a light heavyweight. Not even a welterweight. Instead, Paul has targeted a 135-pounder in Gervonta Davis, one of the smallest elite fighters in the sport.
If that sounds like a joke, that’s because it is. And yet, Paul isn’t laughing. He’s selling it as if he’s taking on the most dangerous challenge of his life.
Paul said it himself, “Gervonta, who has been disrespecting my name for too long. His nickname might be Tank, but I’m an FPV drone, and I’m about to disable tiny boy.
“Yes, he’s 1one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world, but my motto is anyone, anytime, anyplace, against all odds. And I like my odds.
“First, I am going to kill David, then I will go on to slaughter Goliath.”
The Usyk-Pacquiao Analogy
If you think that reads like a video game monologue, you’re not wrong. Paul is actually pitching a fight where he outweighs his opponent by the same margin Oleksandr Usyk would have on Manny Pacquiao. Then, in the very next breath, he dares to dangle Anthony Joshua as a future opponent.
Imagine the heavyweight champion of the world, a man who dominated boxers much bigger than him, in Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, even catching Pacquiao with a couple of shots.
But that’s where Paul just doesn’t get it. It’s not about the skillset anymore when the weight divide is so massively out of proportion. It’s just wrong.
This is the problem with Paul, but you can’t have it both ways.
You can’t demand recognition as a legitimate world title contender while dragging a career lightweight into a money-grab mismatch that does nothing but insult boxing intelligence.
Why the Weight Disparity is an Insult to Boxing
World champions at cruiserweight are waiting. Badou Jack is waiting. Gilberto’ Zurdo’ Ramirez is waiting. But Paul would rather flex his muscles on a 135-pounder.
It doesn’t build his résumé. It doesn’t build his reputation. And most importantly, it doesn’t build credibility.
Until Paul faces a man his size in the weight class he claims, this kind of circus act ensures nobody in the sport can take him seriously.
Of Paul’s last three opponents, one is always high, one is in jail, and the other stands 5ft 5ins tall.
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of Phil Jay.
About the Author
Phil Jay is a veteran boxing journalist with over 15 years of experience covering the global fight scene. As Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News since 2010, Jay has interviewed dozens of world champions and reported ringside on boxing’s biggest nights. [View all articles by Phil Jay] and learn more about his work in combat sports journalism.
