Many non traditional boxers have recently been entering the boxing ring, stirring up controversy of not being “real” boxers and using the sport for money. The biggest name recently being Jake Paul. So how is Jake Paul making a career out of boxing, how would he do against other professional boxers, and what has helped him find his recent success?
Jake Paul Breakdown
Only recently entering the boxing space, Jake Paul has a record of 7-1. With that being said, many fans of the sport wonder how he would do against more professionals in the sport due to the vastly non boxing background of his opponents. Most recently fighting Nate Diaz, who has a background in the UFC using mixed martial arts against opponents, not just boxing. Is Jake Paul selecting opponents that he knows he has a higher chance of beating? Probably. Does that make him a bad boxer? Probably not.
Access to Training
When looking to become a skilled boxer, there’s only a handful of primary things that will link you to success – the motivation to actually become great at the sport, above average athleticism, access to high value coaches, and ample time to focus on training and staying healthy. Two out of four of these require ample time and money. Jake Paul is able to craft his day around training and has the ability to pay for one on one coaching with some of the best in the world. Although there is a barrier of entry ($$$), he is able to have instant access to knowledge from coaches that have been boxing for decades.
Turning Professional
Jake Paul is playing the same game that other professionals have played when becoming a professional boxer. Fight opponents that you are likely to beat in order to juice up your record. Still being new to the sport, he likely knows that he isn’t going to stand up against some veterans of the sport and is working his way up to that status. A large part that is fueling his success is the amount of eyes he brought to boxing since starting in the sport. Not coming to fame from a background of boxing, he is able to attract his audience from YouTube to sell tickets and PPV. It would also be fair to note that through his previous fame, Jake was able to arrange his boxing matches with other popular fighters from day one.
Impact on the Sport
Since starting his career as a professional boxer, Jake Paul has undoubtedly introduced the sport to his fans that might not have otherwise been interested. Creating a new generation of future boxers. His non traditional path of driving a boxing career have shown many fans that it doesn’t matter if you didn’t begin while you were young. With proper training resources, great coaches, and a drive to succeed in the sport you can become great. This doesn’t discredit the fact that many veterans of the sport like Hit N Move founder Ozzie Akcakaya who have been boxing for years would likely put up a strong fight against someone new to the sport like Jake.
Conclusion
The Jake Paul effect will be to credit as we see more and more non traditional boxers and fighters enter the stage. With the ability to set himself up for success by hiring great coaches, having time for dedicated training, and leveraging his already large audience, Jake Paul has 100% made a career for himself within the ring. His impact on the sport is positive in the fact that boxing has gained much more publicity from people that may have not explored the sport otherwise. Fans of boxing everywhere will continue to watch Jake Paul’s journey unfold as he decides to take on more and more difficult opponents that are more skilled in boxing specifically.