World Boxing Council chiefs have attempted to justify their reasoning for ranking a YouTuber with potentially only one win over a pro boxer.
President Mauricio Sulaiman, who has become friends with Jake Paul, believes the wannabe fighter has done enough if he beats Tommy Fury on February 26.
That’s despite all his victories coming over fellow YouTubers or retired MMA competitors. As the WBC makes a mockery of the whole rating system for boxing, stating Paul had ‘improved’ and shown ‘dedication’ were noted as rationales.
World Boxing Council ranking for Jake Paul
They confirmed: “WBC President, Mauricio Sulaiman, affirms that if Jake Paul wins his upcoming bout against Tommy Fury, The WBC Ratings Committee will rank him in the Cruiserweight division.
The WBC added why that would be the case: “Jake Paul has been close to The WBC for several years. It started with the first event promoted in the UK when his brother fought. That night, Jake won The WBC amateur belt [not an actual title] in the undercard fights.
“Jake has dedication and respect for the sport. The WBC will not tolerate discrimination against anyone. He deserves the opportunities that any other boxer has.
“He demonstrated punching power, improved skills, and a solid chin. Tommy Fury represents a clear challenge to Paul in a battle of two undefeated professional boxers.”
Stating that Paul is facing ‘discrimination’ when he has yet to trade blows with a real boxer is shocking. It’s clearly a motivation to rank Paul due to his status on social media.
A dangerous move
It’s precedence that is dangerous for the future of the sport. It shows anyone can fight for a world title without earning the privilege through a decades-old system of claiming the right by beating other professionals.
Not only that, but it puts Paul in danger. All the other thirty-nine pros who will be ranked on the same list would be far more equipped than the former Disney child star.
He could also get badly injured going up against any top names in the top fifteen into the bargain.
Despite these facts, and the staunch opposition to the move from fans, media, and other boxers, the WBC is standing firm in its support for Paul.
They pointed to his willingness to undergo drug tests as another reason, but not once did they state he had the boxing know-how to compete with the others in the rankings.
“Jake has enrolled in VADA testing Clean Boxing Program, yet another strong reason to support his stance as a boxer,” the WBC continued.
In an event billed as “The Truth,” Paul vs Fury will have the WBC Cruiserweight championship as a co-feature. Defending champion Ilunga Makabu will fight former champion Badou Jack in what promises to be a sensational fight.
Not good enough
If Paul wins the Fury fight, he will enter the list in March. However, it would be a massacre if he fought either Makabu or Jack. That would fall flatly at the door of the World Boxing Council, which deep down knows that Paul is nowhere near good enough to compete for the title.
Sadly, this is the road boxing goes down these days as ‘influencers’ live out their dreams of boxing simply due to the number of followers or money they have.
If this were attempted in any other sport, it wouldn’t be tolerated by those in authoritative positions. Boxing needs a severe rethink moving forward.
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of experienced boxing writer Phil Jay. Twitter @PhilJWBN. Follow WBN: Facebook, Insta, Twitter.
