Jake Paul will return to the ring on June 28 in California to face former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., as the former continues his unlikely pursuit of becoming a legitimate world champion in boxing.
Paul rose to fame as a social media personality on YouTube and Instagram and brought a massive following to the sport. His ability to generate engagement has allowed him to grow his profile both inside and outside the ring.
Since turning professional, the Ohio native has embraced the role of disruptor and villain. Controversy often surrounds his fights and social media antics, but one thing is clear: Jake Paul has become one of the most recognisable names in boxing today.
Social media reach
Across the four major social media platforms, Instagram, X, YouTube and TikTok, Paul has nearly 55 million total followers, which is an accolade no active boxer can hold a candle to today.
The two most followed active boxers behind Paul are the undisputed middleweight champion, Canelo Alvarez, who has 28 million total followers and Anthony Joshua with 22 million.
The social media star’s following is double that of his competitors across all platforms.
Paul is a king at creating reactions and engagement on social media - comparing his engagement to both Canelo and Joshua reveals why he has become such a big name.
In his last five Instagram posts, the Ohio fighter has averaged 158,000 likes and over 2,000 comments, whereas the Mexican does manage to pip him on total likes at 230,000 but loses out on comments, only averaging 1171.
Joshua falls short on both metrics, averaging 109,000 likes and 1937 comments. This difference in engagement between a ‘novice ’, with a record of 11-1 (7) and two of the biggest faces boxing has had in the last ten years, is telling as to why Paul can unlock such profitable opportunities for himself despite not having anywhere near the credentials of the others.
Using this reach
Paul can capitalise on his viewership and engagement better than anyone in boxing, being able to secure himself fights with legends of combat sport, hypnotised by the allure of a big pay day and the opportunity to put an end to the rise of the social media star-turned boxer.
Already in only twelve fights, he has managed to face the former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson and two UFC legends in Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley.
As Paul's notoriety has grown, so too has the calibre of fighters who called out the young American.
Paul has a long queue of bona fide fighters who have taken to social media to call him out.
Who has called out Jake Paul?
Artur Beterbiev
The former undisputed light heavyweight champion, uncharacteristically, took to social media and called out Paul, saying: “What can [Jake Paul] do in the ring against the current undisputed champion?”
Anthony Joshua
The two have been publicly exchanging jabs, and Paul has not shied away from the former unified heavyweight champion, calling the former champion one of the ‘top ten most-overrated athletes’.
The Ohio man has opened up about the back-and-forth they have had in private messages and says he is confident he would beat Joshua if they ever fought.
Paul said: "He DM'd me today like saying "LOL" to one of my training clips and then I sent him a LOL' with a picture of him getting knocked out by Daniel Dubois. And so I guess like we're kind of s*** talking, behind the scenes a bit. But I have a lot of love for Anthony Joshua.”
He added: "I think this type of stuff is funny and he's a great guy and I think a fight between us would be awesome and I do believe I can win."
Daniel Dubois
The IBF heavyweight champion is yet another star who has offered to fight Jake Paul, even willing to put his heavyweight title on the line.
Paul revealed a screenshot on social media of a private message he received from Dubois after he beat Mike Tyson last year
The message said: “Hi Jake, good business on the weekend, but how would you feel fighting for the legitimate heavyweight championship of the world. This is Daniel Dubois calling you out. Let's get it on,"
Gervonta Davis
The lightweight champion furiously ripped into Paul after his controversial fight with Mike Tyson and said that he would have no issues in stepping into the ring with Paul and even revealed the combination that would knock him out.
Davis said: “To the bozo that shared the ring with Mike, you a whole bozo for this and you didn’t get the job done, s***head.
He later added: "I'll beat the brakes off of him. When I catch him, uppercut, jab, left hook, uppercut then just watch."
Carl Froch
The former super-middleweight champion has been one of the most vocal in his opposition to Paul, and took to his YouTube channel, Froch on Fighting, dismissing Jake Paul as a content creator and only dreaming of being a real fighter.
He added that he could easily beat Jake Paul even though he had no plans on getting back into the ring.
Froch said: “I do think if the fight happened with Jake Paul, it would not be a fight to me, I could beat him with one arm, it would be so easy.”
He continued: “I’ll do this fight for charity just to shut him up.”
Jake Paul may never win over boxing purists, but his impact is undeniable. With unmatched social media reach and a growing résumé of high-profile opponents, he has rewritten the rules of what it means to be a boxing draw. Whether seen as a disruptor or a legitimate contender, Paul is forcing the fight world to pay attention
Jake Paul vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr will be streamed exclusively on DAZN PPV, Saturday, June 28.
