Jake Paul faces mandatory drug testing if the World Boxing Council agrees to rate the YouTuber on Tuesday.
Ahead of a now-failed fight with Hasim Rahman Jr., WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman promised to place Paul in the Top 15 if he defeated the professional heavyweight.
Even though that clash evaporated, Paul could still gain favor with the WBC. When Paul beat a nearly 50-year-old Anderson Silva on points, Sulaiman praised the ex-Disney child actor.
This led to a widespread notion that Paul will be placed at least into the WBC Top 40 at the ongoing 60th Convention today.
If he does, VADA testing comes into play for every bout after that.
VADA stated: “Unlike all US commissions and all other sanctioning bodies, the WBC truly supports the clean sport.
“All rated fighters are subject to out-of-comp stringent testing panels using only WADA [World Anti-Doping Agency] accredited labs.
“Thank you, Mauricio Sulaiman, for fighter safety and a fair fight.”
They added: “All WBC male fighters ranked in the top 15 are eligible to be tested by VADA and enrolled in the Clean Boxing Program.
“Thank you to the WBC and Mauricio Sulaiman for supporting the clean sport.”
Jake Paul WBC Ranking
Whether it is a coincidence, VADA’s statement on testing came around the same spell when Sulaiman stated his intentions to rank Jake Paul.
“Coming on August 6, Jake Paul will take on Hasim Rahman Jr. Winning this fight will earn him a World Boxing Council ranking,” pointed out Sulaiman.
Following a mass of criticism from what he called “haters,” Sulaiman spoke to Mexican media.
“Jake Paul gets into the ring responsibly. He does it with adequate training,” Sulaiman told Izquierdazo. “But he gets discredited right away.
“Paul is a phenomenon, and we will see what happens in the future.
“That is how the process works. Boxers fight, and with their results, they can get classified in a weight class. That is what Jake Paul is doing.
“But everyone is entitled to his own opinion. Everyone has his motives for having an opinion.
“I respect the information or feelings that motivate how they think about Jake Paul.”
Fighting YouTubers
The vlogger has since moved away from calling out lesser-skilled professional fighters like Tommy Fury or any real boxer after canceling the Rahman Jr. headliner and citing a weight issue.
Paul now seems to be targeting MMA stars solely again. He already beat Tyron Woodley, Ben Askren, and Silva last month with a debatable right hand that swayed a unanimous decision at the Desert Diamond Arena.
The prospect of being pitted against other opponents in the WBC Rankings seemingly may have dawned on him. However, Paul still constantly states he can become a world champion in the sport.
Despite those cries, Nate Diaz is now linked to a fight in 2023.
Targeting a world title within three years and saying he could beat Canelo Alvarez look like trolling from the internet prankster.
Doubters continue to pray the WBC sees sense before today’s rankings announcement. But saying that, his first fight against a ranked WBC boxer would potentially be his biggest seller.
True boxing fans will queue up around the block to see Paul ended by a real boxer.
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of Phil Jay.
WBN Editor Phil has over ten years of boxing news experience. Furthermore, follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
