The Jake Paul boxing experiment continues rolling on Saturday when the social media star-turned-fighter faces former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. The fight with Chavez marks Paul’s second consecutive bout in opposition to a former world champion, following his November win over 58-year-old Mike Tyson.
Whereas Chavez will not be 58 years previous — he’s merely 39 — he’s greater than a decade faraway from his time as a related top-tier boxer. Even at his peak, Chavez was by no means near dwelling as much as the legacy of his father’s unbelievable profession and was typically slowed down in controversy and stricken by self-inflicted points.
Observe our live coverage of Paul vs. Chavez with full play-by-play of each battle and round-by-round scoring
“No, I do not suppose he is good. I believe he tries, he trains exhausting, however he is not an excellent fighter,” Chavez Jr. mentioned on the last press convention. “He is undoubtedly not an excellent boxer. If he have been an excellent boxer, then everybody else on this stage can be a legend. I do not suppose he is an excellent boxer, and all people is aware of that.”
In a approach, this makes Chavez the proper Paul opponent. Paul has feasted on aged fighters properly previous their glory days whereas persevering with to do massive enterprise.
Jake Paul at a crossroads of his boxing career where he needs to decide between being a fighter or promoter
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After defeating fellow influencer AnEsonGib to begin his professional profession, Paul knocked out retired basketball participant Nate Robinson. That was adopted up with a string of fights with former UFC fighters akin to Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley (twice) and Anderson Silva. After dropping a slim break up resolution to Tommy Fury, Paul returned to the previous UFC fighter properly with a win over Nate Diaz.
Paul tried just a few fights with “actual boxers” Andre August and Ryan Bourland, stopping each membership fighters within the first spherical. These fights have been truthful for most professional fighters with lower than 10 profession fights, however the lack of identify worth led to a scarcity of public curiosity and drove Paul proper again to combating a former UFC fighter in Mike Perry. Paul battered the bare-knuckle fighter to attain the seventh stoppage victory of his profession earlier than transferring on to Tyson and an enormous field workplace, although the battle was disappointingly uninteresting with Paul safely outboxing Tyson and largely showing as if he did not wish to harm the legend.
And that brings us to Paul vs. Chavez. Chavez has identify worth, he has boxing expertise and a championship in his previous. He additionally suits the same old standards of Paul opponents as properly previous his prime and undersized for a cruiserweight battle.
To his credit score, Paul was near signing a deal for a battle with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez earlier than it turned clear Alvarez had used him for leverage earlier than signing a three-fight cope with Riyadh Season. And now we’re again to the usual Paul battle, although one which arguably presents barely extra danger than former UFC fighters since Chavez, regardless of how pale, has spent most of his life coaching to compete within the boxing ring.
“He is aware of precisely what to do. Jake Paul simply fought in opposition to Mike Tyson, who did not even throw one punch,” Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. mentioned. “This isn’t Mike Tyson. You [Jake] are going to get your ass whooped. Julio goes to go in throwing some severe punches, and you are going to be operating like a rooster and not using a head.”
Let’s take a better have a look at the remainder of the undercard with the web odds earlier than attending to a prediction and skilled choose on the primary occasion under.
Paul vs. Chavez battle card, odds
- Jake Paul -670 vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. +400, cruiserweights
- Gilberto Ramirez (c) -1115 vs. Yuniel Dorticos +600, WBO cruiserweight title
- Floyd Schofield -196 vs. Tevin Farmer +150, lightweights
- Holly Holm -910 vs. Yolanda Guadalupe Vega Ochoa +525, lightweights
- Avious Griffin -1115 vs. Julian Rodriguez +600, welterweights
- Raul Curiel vs. Victor Rodriguez, welterweights
- Victor Morales Jr. -1667 vs. Rene Alvarado +850, junior lightweights
The place to observe Paul vs. Chavez Jr.
- Date: June 28 | Location: Honda Heart — Anaheim, California
- Begin time: 8 p.m. ET (Principal card)
- Principal occasion ringwalks: 11 p.m. ET (roughly)
- The way to watch: DAZN PPV (buy now) | Value: $59.99
Prediction
Chavez was at his greatest when he was combating at middleweight. Even that model of Chavez wasn’t nice, and it largely felt like he was coasting on his father’s identify. Chavez is now competing at cruiserweight, the place he beat former UFC fighter Uriah Corridor in July 2024. That battle with Corridor is Chavez’s solely since 2021, a yr the place Chavez misplaced a break up resolution to the identical Anderson Silva that Paul beat in 2022, and that Chavez was given a card that evening is an injustice as Silva dominated him.
Paul has improved to the purpose the place he will be thought of an honest boxer. His greatest asset remains to be his energy, although, as Paul hits exhausting naturally. When he feels comfy to let his pictures go, he can harm opponents. Actually, Tyson is the one opponent Paul has confronted that he has not knocked down, and that battle was contested with 14-ounce gloves and with Paul clearly uninterested within the dangerous press that might include hurting a 58-year-old legend.
Briefly, Paul youthful, hits tougher, is pure for the scale the bout shall be contested at and has been much more energetic. I do not see this going properly for Chavez. Decide: Jake Paul by way of TKO5
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