MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 30: Jake Paul of Los Angeles California celebrates after winning his boxing pro debut on January 30, 2020 part of Matchroom Boxing and DAZN Miami Fight Night at the Meridian in Miami, Fl. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Jake Paul has no place in any part of combat sports and shouldn’t be accepted in them either
This isn’t boxing vs MMA, this isn’t trying to make a public defense of some of the most popular MMA fighters in the world, this is simply a message to Jake Paul and those who encourage him: please leave. For as long as fighting has been around, whether it be in boxing or in mixed martial arts, the art of selling a fight has been almost as important as the fight itself.
The art of selling a fight matters for all parties involved, it draws fans’ interest to both fighters, brings attention to the promoters, and most importantly, when done correctly, it makes revenue for everyone, and usually, a good fight is had. Enter the unthinkable year that 2020 has been and enter Jake Joseph Paul, the boxer. Excuse the ignorance, enter Jake Paul, the YouTube celebrity who believes he can make it in the world of boxing.
Two fights, two wins for Jake Paul in the year of 2020, including the circus act where he fought former NBA Slam Dunk Champion, Nate Robinson. There is only one matter of respect to go around, Jake Paul and his two opponents have had enough of what it takes to step inside the ring and compete in a boxing match, one thing that many people only talk about doing.
Getting in the boxing ring and competing deserves all the respect in the world, even if it feels like a sideshow because not everyone will do it. With that said, getting two wins over a former NBA player and Ali Eson Gib does not give Paul or anyone in their right mind the platform to start calling out the likes of Conor McGregor, Dillon Danis, and other real professional combat sports athletes.
Since his win over Nate Robinson (again, former NBA player) Paul has taken aim at former two-weight UFC champion Conor McGregor, who has a 0-1 boxing record from his mega super-fight against Floyd Mayweather back in 2017. Recently, Jake Paul released a video calling out Conor McGregor, Conor McGregor’s long-time girlfriend Dee Devlin, and UFC President Dana White, claiming he’s made a $50 million offer to fight McGregor.
Shortly after the first video, there were claims made that Ben Askren and Paul had agreed to a boxing match and now Askrenhas said that Jake Paul has gone “quiet” since the deal was agreed to. Further proving, Paul is here for promotion and attention than he is competition.
Given the parody videos put out by Paul mocking the MMA world, the “agreement” to a fight that makes zero sense, and just putting on what feels like a mockery of combat sports, there really shouldn’t be any reason to take Jake Paul as a combat sports athlete for the way he goes about disrespecting the sport. All respect for the willingness to train and compete, but in a time where a worldwide pandemic has taken away press conferences and all the theatrics of fighting, and just the fights have been the focus, a YouTube star doesn’t need to be injected into the sport.
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