Boxing fans destroy Jake Paul over 'delusional' Muhammad Ali claim
The 28-year-old has become a real household name since making his professional boxing debut - but fans have completely slated his recent comments
Jake Paul has come in for some brutal criticism after he compared himself to Muhammad Ali ahead of his fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer was last seen in the ring back in November when he defeated former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson. Despite failing to get the knockout on fight night, the 28-year-old cruised to a victory on points at the AT&T Stadium in Texas.
Paul will take on Chavez Jr in Anaheim on June 28. The American is hoping that the fight will kickstart a busy year in the ring after a few months away from competitive action. Chavez Jr - who holds a professional record of 54-6-1 - defeated former UFC middleweight contender Uriah Hall in his last outing. The Mexican fighter has also stepped in the ring with the likes of Andy Lee, Canelo Alvarez, Daniel Jacobs and former UFC champion, Anderson Silva.
Since making his professional debut in 2020, the young star has helped grow the sport of boxing has gained millions of fans in the process. After his fight with Tyson, Netflix revealed the viewership for the fight was 60 million households. The streaming service reports that at its peak, 65 million screens were tuned in to the dust-up. He has also received plaudits for his work in growing women's boxing with Most Valuable Promotions.
The 28-year-old believes he has made a big difference in the sport and has put himself alongside Ali. In a recent interview with DAZN, Paul made a stunning claim about his accolades in boxing. 'To me, [Chavez] has done nothing in this sport. I feel like I'm the only one doing it. Everyone else is just trying to gatekeep or say that they're doing things for the sport, or something is bad for boxing. But I'm the greatest thing to happen to boxing since Muhammad Ali, and there's no debating that,' Paul said.
'No other fighter is building gyms, getting boxing gloves into the hands of kids, throwing multiple events a year, donating my whole entire purse back into my own charity when I fought in Puerto Rico… I've done this in only 12 fights, where Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather, Marvin Hagler, you can name any of these people, fought nobodies for their first 15-20 fights, and no one even knew who they were.'
Following his comments, it is fair to say that fight fans were left unimpressed and were quick to take to social media. One fan wrote: 'Is he serious?' While another commented: 'Jake does NOT believe this and once again he trolls everyone to stay in the headlines. How can nobody see this.'
A third fan replied: 'This m*********** is annoying," while another user commented: 'Delusional, he's not a boxer.' A fifth replied: 'Someone needs to smack his light head.' A sixth posted: 'Celebrity boxing is so cringe," whole another wrote: 'Go f*** yourself Jake Paul you balding rat.'
With Paul continuing to make a name for himself, Ali's grandson - Biaggio Ali Walsh - believes the late boxing icon would have been all for Paul's contest with Mike Tyson. He told Mirror Fighting: "In terms of the circus fights, that's what I like to call them - it's money orientated. It's not like it's not based on talent anymore, really. It's based on, you know, just the biggest name versus the biggest name, regardless of your skill level.
"But to make of that... I honestly don't think he would disapprove of it, because the viewership in the eyes and people buying to watch the fight was the reason he even started trash-talking and brought out his personality anyway. Yeah, so in a way, I feel like he'd be supportive of it.
"You know, if you can fool millions of people to watch you fight, then you're doing something right, right? So I feel like he wouldn't disapprove of it. I feel like he would…it would be entertaining for him to see what's next, like, who's the next big name versus the next big name, you know? So I don't think he would disapprove of it. In fact, I think he would be entertained by it."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BreakingNews.ie
an hour ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Tom Aspinall installed as UFC champion after Jon Jones confirms retirement
Britain's Tom Aspinall has been upgraded to UFC undisputed heavyweight champion following the official retirement of Jon Jones. UFC president Dana White ended months of uncertainty in the heavyweight division by delivering the news after Saturday's Fight Night in Azerbaijan. Advertisement Aspinall spent 19 months as interim champion and is only the third Briton to become a UFC champion. American Jones – considered one of the greatest mixed martial arts fighters of all time – had not competed since defeating Stipe Miocic in November. 'Jon Jones called us last night and retired,' White said. 'Jon Jones is officially retired. Tom Aspinall is the heavyweight champion of the UFC. Advertisement 'Do I regret the time that I gave (Jones to decide)? Listen, if you look at what he's accomplished in the sport, no.' Aspinall had unsuccessfully campaigned to fight 37-year-old Jones. Reacting to the news, the 32-year-old, who last fought in July, posted on Instagram: 'For you fans, it's time to get this heavyweight division going. An active undisputed champion.' Aspinall is expected to defend his title this summer or in early autumn, with number-one contender Ciryl Gane a likely opponent. 'I obviously feel bad for Tom that he lost all that time and obviously money, but we'll make it up to him,' said White. 'Tom Aspinall's a good guy. He's been incredible through this whole process. 'He's been willing to do anything, fight him (Jones) anywhere at any time and do this, and now he's like 'I'll fight anybody – you tell me who and I'll fight them'.'
Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Boxer Jin Sasaki suffers six-week memory loss after brutal KO and cannot remember fight
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) JAPANESE boxer Jin Sasaki has lost the last SIX WEEKS of his memory following his brutal loss to Brian Norman Jr. Sasaki locked horns with the American for the WBO welterweight title in a Tokyo tussle on Thursday afternoon. 4 Jin Sasaki locked horns with Brian Norman Jr for the WBO welterweight title this week Credit: Alamy 4 The 23-year-old suffered a brutal fifth-round KO loss to the American 4 Sasaki has lost the last six weeks of his memory as a result of the brutal KO But his bid to claim the 147lbs strap in what was the stiffest test of his career ended in a brutal fifth-round knockout. A beautiful counter left hook from Norman Jr connected flush on the 23-year-old's jaw and sent him hurtling towards the canvas. The back of Sasaki's head smacked off the canvas and medical staff promptly tended to him after the referee issued the most pointless of counts. He was worryingly motionless for over a minute before being stretchered out of the arena and rushed to the hospital, where he underwent a slew of neurological tests. Thankfully, the scans showed he had no serious injury to his brain and he was released the same day. But the knockout, according to the president of his gym, Issei Nakaya, wiped his memory of the last few weeks. According to Nakaya, Sasaki told him: "I don't even remember that this title match was decided." A statement on Sasaki's condition read: "Sasaki Tsutomu was taken to the hospital after the match and underwent a CT scan. 4 Jin Sasaki was transported to the hospital but discharged the same day after scans found he had no neurological issues or brain injuries Credit: GETTY "There were no injuries such as bleeding. However, he hit the back of his head hard and is currently losing his memory. "There were no visible physical injuries, but we will be keeping an eye on him and he will be going back to the hospital tomorrow for another checkup." Canelo Alvarez reveals why Terence Crawford is BETTER than Floyd Mayweather... but vows to learn from infamous loss Defeat to Norman Jr was only the second of Sasaki's career. Norman Jr, meanwhile, now boasts a perfect 28-0 record and can set his sights on unifying the division.
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Top-six finish for Martindale's Livingston?
We asked for your views on Livingston's Scottish Premiership fixtures and how they will be faring after 10 what some of you said:Paul: I believe Livingston will hit the ground running this season. I expect us to pick up points against Kilmarnock and Falkirk to start things off. We'll likely lose at Parkhead, but there's a good chance we could get something from the Hearts game at home. By October, I'd say we'll be sitting Top-six finish, no problem.
