Jake Paul is 12 fights in to what has been a controversial professional boxing career.
The 28-year-old from Cleveland, Ohio made his professional debut back in 2020, stopping fellow YouTube star Ali Eson Gib in the first round of their bout at The Meridian in Miami, Florida.
He has gone on to face a number of MMA legends including Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz. He made his first significant step-up in opposition when he fought Tommy Fury two years ago, suffering the first defeat of his career against the unbeaten Brit.
His most recent outing came against retired heavyweight icon Mike Tyson, who he defeated via unanimous decision when they clashed at the AT&T Stadium in Texas last November.
‘The Problem Child’ has set his sights on becoming a legitimate world champion in the near future, and one man who has had their say on Paul’s chances of accomplishing this feat is Oscar De La Hoya, who had a glittering professional career of his own.
Speaking to Boxing News, De La Hoya discussed the prospect of a potential showdown between Paul and Canelo Alvarez, as he claims the 28-year-old is ‘serious’ about his career and could be in line for a shot at a world title very soon.
“I think Jake Paul is such a genius in luring in Canelo that he had Canelo actually talk about Jake Paul so that’s a genius move from him. I think that Jake is doing the right moves for his career and I strongly feel that he is serious about boxing for the first time. I feel that Jake Paul has a real, real shot at winning a world title.”
Paul makes his return to the ring on June 28 when he faces former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in a cruiserweight showdown at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
