There's a clear route which Jake Paul looks likely to take that could result in a legitimate shot at one of boxing's world championship bouts as early as this year.
Most Valuable Promotions, the company Paul founded with his business partner Nikisa Bidarian, released a statement to GIVEMESPORT recently that indicated the burgeoning boxer and internet sensation would fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr on a Golden Boy Promotions card which DAZN will broadcast from the Anaheim Center on the 28th of June.
Also competing on that card is Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez, one of Golden Boy's most prominent fighters. Ramirez defends his WBO world cruiserweight championship against Yuniel Dorticos atop that card. Victory for both Paul and Zurdo could see the stars align for Paul's first world title fight — something that he has long proclaimed he'll receive, yet which long was seen as bragadaccio rather than reality. Well, that reality now appears closer than ever.
How Jake Paul Could Fight For a World Title as Early as This Year
Paul could end up fighting Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez for the cruiserweight championship
Paul has fought 12 pro bouts to date, after bypassing the traditional amateur circuit by parlaying his popularity on YouTube, social media, and Disney, into a career that has seen him already defeat legit former MMA champions and icons like Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, and Nate Diaz. He's even defeated bare knuckle scrapper Mike Perry, and the former world heavyweight sensation Mike Tyson, albeit in a lackluster bout that fully showed the 30-year age gap between the two combatants.
His sole defeat to date came against Tommy Fury, however, his next bout — against Chavez — is arguably the toughest test of his career. Should he excel in it, and win, then he could well be thrust into a title fight later this year.
DAZN presenter Chris Mannix even presented this pathway to a title to Oscar de la Hoya, who is promoting the June boxing event through Golden Boy Promotions. Mannix suggested that the confirmed pairing of fights so far suggests that, if Paul and Zurdo are the winners of their respective bouts, then they could come together for a box office world title fight in the near future.
Here's what de la Hoya had to say about Paul, and about that scenario:
"I commend Jake Paul for what he's done, from the start, how serious he takes boxing inside the ring."
"When he trains … this guy is probably the hardest worker in the game today," said de la Hoya. "He has to prove himself from the back of the bunch and work himself up, and he's fighting Julio Cesar Chavez who is a real fighter. Canelo couldn't knock him out."
De la Hoya continued by saying that if Paul defeats Chavez, he takes a huge step towards that world title that he wants.
"If Jake Paul knocks out Julio Cesar Chavez … I feel [he] is the real deal."
The WBC said as early as 2022 that they were considering giving Paul a ranking in their organization should he continue to pick up wins. And it's probable he could even be ranked in the top-15 at cruiserweight should he defeat Chavez. This would open up the pathway to fight 'Zurdo', for a legit title, as a voluntary defense on the champion's part.
