Why are legitimate boxers calling out Jake Paul?

SHORTLY after Jake Paul had chugged his way past Mike Tyson, his DMs were filling up with the usual kind of appreciative fan mail. On this occasion, the most pertinent arrived from other, seemingly more legitimate, sources.

IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois was the latest high-profile name to offer Paul a crack at his belt. The YouTuber-turned-boxer responded by stating that he would consult his business partner to contact Warren, adding, tongue in cheek, that he would put Dubois in line for the throne.

The final comment is perhaps a little closer to the truth than some might admit. If the throne is a big wad of cash, as created by arguably the most well-known “boxer” in the world today, then Dubois must indeed get in line and wait for his chance. A chance, realistically, that won’t be coming anytime soon.

While Paul has made a habit of fastening his name to Canelo, the Mexican superstar has, so far, treated the call out with the contempt it deserves. While Paul may yet win an established version of a world title, given all of the sanctioning body shenanigans, fledgling weight classes, suspect titles and even more suspect top 15 ranked opponents floating about, he is clearly leagues below many of the people reaching out for a proper scrap.

Mairis Briedis is a former world champion who negotiated 24 tough rounds against Jai Opetaia and pushed Oleksandr Usyk as close as anybody in the Ukrainian’s career. Yet, Briedis got a tattoo of Paul on his leg before dressing up as the Super Mario video game character in response to Paul deliberately misnaming him.

Artur Beterbiev even offered Paul a shot, declaring it is time for him to finally step up and face some real competition. Ducking and dodging to avoid a quite implausible scenario, Paul responded to the offer by stating that he runs boxing and will call the shots when desired. While basking in the fact that one of the world’s top fighters is coming to him for a touch of clout, months after defeating rival Dmitry Bivol. 

By first attaching his name to more established boxers, Paul has now twisted things around so much that proven pugilists are doing promotional work on his behalf. The amount of money Jake Paul generates is clearly the driver, but his name carries so much currency that even grabbing a few newsworthy lines alongside it is worth the one or two days of profile boost.

Paul is a master marketer. Whether dancing around faded legends like Tyson, beating up substandard fighters from other disciplines, all taking place at what is comparably barely British Area level, hooping and hollering to the nearest bank as champions call HIM out! 

So far, the 27-year-old has never acted upon any of these offers. Despite apparently taking the Dubois proposal seriously, he later backed away. The most positive thing currently happening with this new trend is that as long as his roadshow continues, a collection of boxers travel on the same wave crest, through undercards and standalone shows, making money from the excitement and exposure.