Highlights
- Jake Paul will Mike Tyson in November but is already eyeing up future opponents.
- The 27-year-old has faced criticism for not fighting specialist boxers so far in his career.
- However, his ‘wish-list’ still contains a couple of UFC fighters.
Jake Paul has named the five opponents he wants to face after taking on Mike Tyson in November. As fans have come to expect from the 27-year-old, the list is hardly full of seasoned recognised boxers.
‘The Problem Child’ takes on heavyweight icon Tyson in a highly controversial bout at AT&T Stadium on the 15th of November. That bout was pushed back from its originally planned date in July after the 58-year-old suffered an ulcer flare-up while on board an aircraft in May.
Not wanting to miss an opportunity to add to his in-ring experience, Paul still fought on the originally scheduled date, taking on former UFC fighter Mike Perry. The social media sensation was much larger than his opponent on fight night – and made that advantage count. Paul knocked Perry down in the first round and would do so again before the end of the bout, ultimately earning a TKO victory.
Although he insists that he’s not overlooking Tyson later this year, Paul revealed his preferred list of future opponents during a recent appearance on the Full Send Podcast. From professional boxers to UFC fighters to men that have made their names on social media, Paul seemingly wants a piece of everyone as he looks to add to his resume.
Jake Paul’s ‘Wish-List’ For His Next Five Fights Includes Only One Boxer With More Than 10 Fights
While his performance in beating Perry was arguably the best of his career, many still consider Paul to be a ‘YouTube’ boxer. That accusation hasn’t stopped him from calling out some of the biggest names in combat sports. When asked who he had in his sights, Paul replied:
“[Alex] Pereira, [Conor] McGregor, Canelo, KSI, Tommy Fury”
Both Pereira and McGregor are still under UFC contract for a number of fights yet – and it would take a monumental shift in attitude from company chief Dana White to allow either man to fight Paul. Speaking about the possibility of doing business with Paul recently, Dana insisted: “I stopped paying attention to Jake Paul when he lost to [Tommy] Fury. When he fought someone that was his age and actually boxed, he lost.”
Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez should be considered just as unlikely as the two UFC crossover fights. A multiple-weight world champion with 65 professional boxing matches, the Mexican’s vast experience means it would be reckless at best for any governing body to sanction a fight between the pair.
However, KSI and Tommy Fury are far more realistic options. Asked about why he hadn’t fought KSI yet, despite years of bad blood between the pair, Paul explained:
“It’s honestly the difficulty in figuring out the weight, the original deal was 185 but we’re both way over that! He’s walking around at 205 [pounds] and I’m at 212, the lowest I could go to now would be 195, and that would be difficult! So, it’s about figuring that out. He can have anything he wants, the fight’s going to be in London, I just need him to compromise on the weight.”
Perhaps the easiest fight of the five to make will be a rematch of one that has already happened. Paul naturally wants to avenge his sole professional career to Fury in February 2023. Jake even knocked Tommy down in the latter stages of the fight, before going on to lose on the judges’ scorecards.
Before any agreements can be made for future fights, though, Paul faces what could be the toughest test of his boxing journey so far against Tyson. Should he lose in November, all thoughts of fighting McGregor, Pereira or Canelo will surely be put to bed for good.