Jake Paul is the biggest content creator turned boxer on the planet. He started uploading videos on Vine in 2013 and switched to YouTube in 2014. His content revolved around pranks, and when his channel took off, he landed a role in a show on the Disney Channel called Bizaardvark, where he played a character who accepted all kinds of crazy dares.
But despite all the success he had, it wasn’t his calling.
That came later in 2018 when he knocked out Deji, younger brother of KSI, on the undercard of a white-collar amateur boxing event headlined by KSI and Jake’s brother, Logan.
From there, Jake went on to become a professional boxer. He’s racked up six wins, four of which were decided by knockouts, and one loss—but that hasn’t stopped him from blossoming into one of the biggest drawcards in the industry.
Since his first two fights were against inexperienced boxers, and the two that followed were against former MMA champions who were known for their wrestling prowess rather than boxing, some people have questioned his abilities.
But is he actually good at boxing? Experts say yes—especially now that he’s gone toe to toe with a real boxer, Tommy Fury.
“Paul’s a real good striker,” said Mike Tyson during an episode of his podcast. It’s high praise coming from a heavyweight boxing legend like him, and it’s something he doesn’t do often.
Another legend, Oscar de la Hoya, feels the same way.
“Let me tell you one thing about Jake Paul. He’s the real deal,” he said to TMZ.
“I’m going to tell you that, with only four or five fights, and the way he’s taking it seriously. Jake Paul is the real deal, and I dare anyone who has boxing experience, who has MMA experience, to call him out, because I’ll tell you one thing, this guy can beat a lot of good champions, and even great champions.”
It’s all well and good to have your skills acknowledged by boxing legends, but what about boxing trainers? After all, they’re probably the best people to turn to for an opinion on the more technical aspects.
Malik Scott, who trained former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, was more tepid when asked about it, but ultimately came to the same conclusion—Jake is good at boxing.
“The matches are real safe that he’s taken. He’s not taking real chances in my opinion,” he said in an exclusive interview with FairBettingSites. “But I believe Jake Paul has also become a good fighter as well.”
Scott admitted Jake isn’t a “world beater,”—not yet anyway.
But he believes he’s a serious fighter. “Is he an influencer fighter? Not to me. I’m not going to keep saying it because he’s actually looking better than some boxers.”
John Fury, the father of Tyson and Tommy Fury, said Jake Paul is “a lot better” than he thought he was and “has the right to say he’s a professional boxer” because he “impressed the hell out of [him]” in his fight against Tommy.
“He took great shots, he gave great shots,” he added. “They served up a lot better fight than some British champions, European champions, and high-level boxers. But don’t forget, they’re all novices.”
Not everyone agrees, though. Eddie Hearn, a British boxing promoter, doesn’t think he’s a talented fighter but admitted he isn’t awful, either.
“He’s not terrible, but he’s not very good,” he said. “He’s never going to be a world champion, never going to be a world-class fighter, and never going to be able to compete against anyone who’s even close to world level. But I’ve seen worse.”
But while the jury is still out in his skills, he’s proving time and time again that he can put on a show.
