Woodley Just Another Prop for Paul
'Problem Child' Finds Another Stepping Stone in Former UFC Champ
Jake Paul returns to the boxing ring to continue his quest of embarrassing “real” fighters while sticking his middle fingers at the world. This time, the YouTube star-turned-boxer takes a bigger swing, both metaphorically and literally, at a former UFC champion in Tyron Woodley.
If you’re just coming around to realizing Paul (3-0-0, 3 KOs) isn’t just a gimmick but a boxer who is here to stay, it’s best to get to know the world’s biggest boxing heel. He’s not only a staple in the boxing betting lines but on the Internet. Win or lose, he’ll continue getting marquee showings like this as we figure out who this multifaceted star really is.
- Date: Sunday, 8 p.m. ET
- Venue: Rocket Mortgage Field House, Cleveland, OH
- Watch on: Showtime Sport: Pay per view
Paul’s Notoriety to Grow
As far as fights go, this is slated to be one of the biggest and will cap off a busy month of August. If you can believe it, Paul enters as an online betting favorite yet again as he looks to continue building his resume at the expense of another “legitimate” fighter.
Woodley was the UFC champion as recently as 2019 and, although on a four-fight slide, he’ll be the toughest test in Paul’s young boxing career. As the underdog, he’ll look to shut Paul up while earning some decent coin as a bonus.
Woodley Searches For Relevance
At this point in his career, Woodley is simply fighting for the pay. Sure, there is a bit of pride in this, as Ben Askren was a friend and training partner of his. But Woodley is out here to show up and collect a bag. Maybe he can knock Paul out along the way. Most folks are cheering for him to do just that.
But Woodley, a loser of four straight fights, has been anything but his best. He can still hit hard and still has the athleticism of a top fighter, but his performances illustrate someone who’s lost their will to contend.
If Woodley approaches this fight with the same dogged mentality he displayed when he was rising, he should be a lucrative bet as a +165 underdog. But Paul chose him for a reason. Taking a page out of the Floyd Mayweather Jr. playbook, the “Problem Child” knows how to pick his opponents to make himself look good.
Paul is ‘Problem’ Combat Sports Needs
Jake Paul is what happens when celebrities turned fighters actually work out in their favor. Usually it’s an embarrassment, as when CM Punk got squashed in the UFC or when washed-up celebrities or former star athletes go at it in the ring much to the demented delight of the crowd.
But with Paul, he has had three victories in the ring and the latest one came over a former pro fighter in Askren. Paul didn’t just beat Askren. He destroyed him despite the fact that most people thought Askren would expose Paul.
Ringside view of Jake Paul’s KO of Ben Askren 🥊pic.twitter.com/YVLsixpEqI
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) April 18, 2021
Paul has been training in boxing for over three years. He’s still an amateur compared to the pro boxers like Canelo Alvarez and Anthony Joshua. But he already has a bigger fan base and reaches a different and more diverse type of audience.
Many will claim that Paul and his brother, Logan, are what’s wrong with the sport. That these “circus fights” are a black eye to combat sports. But Paul is managing to get the likes of Askren and Woodley bigger pay days than their “legitimate” fighting careers.
As an outspoken critic of the pay system in the UFC as well, Paul is disrupting the fight game in ways that even Mayweather or Conor McGregor didn’t. Of course, it’s because he isn’t the traditional type of fighter. But a YouTube sensation changing the fight game? It’s crazy, but it’s happening.
