Jake Paul cites his circle of friends as why true boxing fans should respect his ring career, despite never fighting a pro boxer.
The ex-Disney child star defeated MMA legend, Anderson Silva on Saturday night at the Desert Diamond Arena via unanimous decision.
Silva is an opponent who will be 48 years old in the spring.
Anyone who knows the sport knows that any fighter, no matter boxing, MMA, or any other combat, would be shot by that age anyway.
But Paul expects knowledgeable supporters of the great sport of boxing to see things his way despite the obvious facts.
Jake Paul is not a boxer
Paul is not a good technical boxer and would get beaten by any half-decent professional on the planet in a bout. Not only that, but the YouTuber would struggle to advance in any solid amateur tournament worldwide.
Calling out David Benavidez, Canelo Alvarez, and others who have respect for forging great careers against warrior opponents is one of the most disrespectful things any wannabe fighter could do.
Nonetheless, Paul wants his props even though he knows full well any of the names he mentions regularly would wipe him out in a round.
An influencer who only gained his chance on a network like Showtime due to followers gained from pulling pranks on the internet believes support from people latching onto his mass millions of minions is reason enough to call him a boxer.
“I think smart people with intelligence are giving me props and respect,” Paul told The MMA Hour.
“The WBC President said that anyone who says Jake is not a real boxer is just bitter and is a hater. People like Teddy Atlas are showing me mad respect.
“A lot of fighters are showing me mad respect. Many MMA guys are texting me, saying, ‘You look really sharp. That was the best you’ve fought.
“Ryan Garcia is showing me respect, so the smart people I care about are showing that love. There are the people who will always be there in my career who are discrediting it.”
Have some respect for the sport
Sadly, Mr. Paul, it is not. You get your respect by fighting against boxers and not calling out any notable names until you work your way through the ranks.
It’s called being professional.
The youngster further justified his triumph against Silva, who was slow and way past his best inside the ropes.
Paul reacted to those who said the right hand that knocked Silva down didn’t even land.
“Now, they’re saying it was rigged. It went from, ‘Jake’s going to get knocked out by Anderson,’ to ‘oh, that was rigged.’
“I lose faith in my generation and my peers. We as a society and a world when I see that type of stuff and that type of stupidity.”
On the fact the boxing media won’t bow to his demand to see him as a fully blown contender, Paul added: “It just sucks. It sucks because I worked so hard for this.
“I dedicate everything, sacrifice everything, every single day, bust my balls. I have a fifteen-person team working around the clock to help me become the best boxer possible.
“And they try to take it away from me when I do something like beating Anderson Silva. But I know deep down, and I guess that’s all that really matters.”
Celebrity Boxing
If Jake Paul called it what it was, a celebrity boxing match, then those he seeks respect from would certainly give more of it. He parades on Showtime Pay-Per-View, a sacred platform to professional boxers who reached their pinnacle when he doesn’t have the skills to command the price, is all the evidence he needs.
Beating Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley is not the way to back up any argument on this fact. Paul could train for ten years and still not be ready for any world champion between 175 and 200 pounds.
He should look at himself in the mirror and ask if he genuinely believes that he’s good enough to ask fans to pay the PPV money they fork out for the likes of Canelo, Deontay Wilder, and Gervonta Davis.
If the answer is yes, we have the most delusional faux boxer ever infiltrating our sport. We need it to stop immediately before he gets seriously hurt.
Stick to fighting Nate Diaz or even Tommy Fury. But the doubters will never go away unless you fight a boxer with a decent level of skill.
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of Phil Jay.
WBN Editor Phil Jay has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews, Instagram, and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
