Jake Paul is in the market for his next opponent following his biggest and most controversial bout to date.
The 27-year-old, whose biggest wins have come against former UFC fighters rather than traditional boxers, made headlines last year for bringing former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson out of retirement at the age of 58.
Those who tuned in rather than avoided watching were left disappointed by the eight-round affair, with Tyson showing only glimpses of competitiveness in the first round before surviving the distance against the younger man.
Talk has turned to who Paul, one of the most lucrative figures in the sport, will face next. Famed trainer turner analyst Teddy Atlas, who worked with ‘Iron’ Mike in his early days, has suggested one Wladimir Klitschko in an interview with Canada Casino.
“Maybe you fight Klitschko. Klitschko’s talking about coming back. He’s about as good a shape as somebody his age could be in. You look at him. He looks like he’s made out of steel, he’s still in tremendous shape. I saw him in Saudi during the last fight. We were all over there together. We were there sitting ringside right next to each other for the Usyk-Fury rematch, and he’s in great shape.
“He’s not damaged. It’s not like he got damaged too much in his career, he did have a few knockout losses, but it wasn’t where he took a steady pounding that would be detrimental for the future. He’s still the steel hammer. He’s a giant, he can still punch like hell. Power never leaves. He could punch like hell with the right hand like I said. He still looks good. He’s still in great shape, boy, if there’d be a lot of people wanting to see Paul get his comeuppance.”
Alongside his brother Vitali, Wladimir dominated the heavyweight division from 2004 to 2015 in what was known as the Klitschko era. The big punching Ukrainian – who transformer under the guidance of legendary trainer Manny Steward – has teased a comeback for some years now.
Known for keeping himself in the gym, Klitschko is keen on breaking George Foreman’s record as the division’s oldest ever champion. Whilst he certainly won’t achieve that in with Jake Paul, he would have the chance of the very biggest stage.
