The world of celebrity boxing returns to the spotlight this weekend as YouTuber-turned-prizefighter Jake Paul takes on former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in an eight-round boxing match that headlines an anticipated Sunday night pay-per-view event.
Along with his older brother Logan Paul, Jake Paul has taken the combat sports world by storm over the past couple years. He’s making a name for himself in the ring thanks to his skills and dedication to the sport, and he’s routinely making headlines due to ongoing feuds with several mixed martial arts stars and UFC president Dana White.
Woodley lost his final four fights in the UFC, his most recent being in March, but with an impressive fighting resume and explosive punching power, he represents the biggest challenge of Jake Paul’s burgeoning boxing career to date.
We saw Logan Paul go the distance in his June exhibition match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. That spectacle also generated plenty of buzz, yet the fight itself lacked bite as neither man was in danger at any point and few significant punches were landed on either side.
As Woodley has repeatedly pointed out at media events promoting Sunday’s showcase, this is a real fight. It isn’t an exhibition and he plans on knocking out and shutting up the profuse Jake Paul.
TALE OF THE TAPE
JAKE PAUL
Nickname: The Problem Child
From: Cleveland, Ohio
Age: 24
Height: 6-foot-1
Reach: 76 inches
Stance: Orthodox
Professional boxing record: 3-0 (three knockouts)
TYRON WOODLEY
Nickname: The Chosen One
From: Ferguson, Missouri
Age: 39
Height: 5-foot-9
Reach: 74 inches
Stance: Orthodox
Professional boxing record: 0-0 (MMA record: 19-7-1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKhOJvLj3o0
Woodley is largely being written off here but he’s is a lifelong competitor – a two-time Division 1 All-American in wrestling at the University of Missouri before venturing into MMA in the late aughts – who hasn’t tasted victory since a 2018 title defence against Darren Till at UFC 228.
He’s hungry, he’s rejuvenated and he sacrificed time away from his children to focus on his training camp, much of which was aided by Mayweather and his team.
Woodley made it clear during the week he doesn’t respect the way Jake Paul has promoted himself.
“It’s kind of disgusting how much of a clown people feel they have to be to be recognized,” Woodley told Jake Paul at Thursday’s press conference. “It’s disgusting how much clout people have to chase. When you really look into what the word clout means, it’s the appearance of authenticity, it’s the appearance that you’re the real deal, it’s the appearance that you really about that action, but I’m really like that.
“You can say what you wanna say, but you do what you think you’re supposed to do based on what we’ve done. When I say we, I say fighters. … The whole money thing, the whole bling thing, that’s all built to build the fight but we here. I ain’t got (expletive) to say. You’re getting hurt on Sunday and in a way you ain’t never felt.”
A curse-filled melee ensued following Thursday’s press event when members of Jake Paul’s team engaged in some verbal sparring with Woodley’s mother, a beloved figure in the MMA community, and an irate Woodley made it clear that would not be tolerated.
Now there’s an added layer of heat between the two unlikely opponents.
The card has more to offer than merely the main event, too. It also features Tyson Fury’s half-brother Tommy Fury who’s looking to remain unbeaten in his young career, plus Amanda Serrano, one of women’s boxing’s top talents, defends her WBC, WBO, and IBO featherweight titles against Yamileth Mercado.
BETTING ODDS
Paul to win -200 | Woodley to win +160 | Draw +1400
Paul by stoppage -120 | Woodley by stoppage +185
Paul by decision +700 | Woodley by decision +1200
Jake Paul opened as a minus-150 favourite and his line has ballooned to as much as minus-225 depending on which sportsbook you look at. Jake Paul has been the betting favourite in all of his boxing matches to date.
He made his amateur debut with a technical knockout win over vlogger Deji Olatunji three years ago before “going pro” in 2019. Jake Paul’s first pro bout was against British YouTuber Ali Loui Al-Fakhri, aka AnEsonGib, who didn’t make it out of the first round.
Jake Paul’s second was against former NBA star Nate Robinson who continuously charged directly into right-hand power shots and the fight ended when Robinson faceplanted in the second round.
Ben Askren, a longtime friend and training partner of Woodley, was a retired MMA fighter and freestyle wrestler coming off of hip surgery when Jake Paul put him away less than two minutes in April. He did so with a sweeping right hand set up nicely with a jab. Woodley was in Askren’s corner for that bout and a backstage confrontation with members of Jake Paul’s team is what ultimately led to Sunday’s main event coming together.
“I think with every fight my confidence grows and grows and grows, but I’m gonna be honest, I’ve only had a couple fights for like a couple minutes,” Jake Paul said with a chuckle on the Showtime Sports All Access special for the fight. “It’s pretty crazy the level this has gotten.”
WHY YOU TAKE PAUL AT -200
Most boxing insiders are leaning toward Jake Paul to stay undefeated and, as of Friday evening, the majority of money coming in on this fight was on his side. After all, the younger fighter has the advantage when it comes to age, height, reach, boxing experience and momentum.
Jake Paul, trained by former cruiserweight contender BJ Flores, utilizes his jab fairly well and when he’s not firing his right hand, it’s usually found in good position protecting his chin. His right hand is his biggest weapon, although he incorporates a left hook nicely into his combinations.
In MMA, Woodley developed a habit of keeping his back to the cage and allowing his opponents to close in on him. In recent years that has not worked out to his advantage. If he employs a rope-a-dope strategy against Jake Paul it could be an invitation for the youngster to pepper him with shots and pierce Woodley’s guard.
WHY YOU TAKE WOODLEY AT +160
Woodley may no longer be able to defeat top-tier MMA welterweights, however he’s on an entirely different level than Jake Paul’s previous opponents in terms of punching ability and overall threat.
Getting T-Wood at plus money doesn’t happen often. Woodley opened as the underdog in just seven of his UFC outings, going 3-3-1 and one of those wins was when he knocked out Robbie Lawler to win the title in 2016.
Jake Paul does frequently leave his left hand low and even Askren caught him cleanly with a nice counter shot 15 seconds into their fight. If Jake Paul makes the same mistake against Woodley there will be a stark difference in how his punch feels.
The pick: Tyron Woodley
This might sound odd or counterintuitive, but Woodley doesn’t need to be the better boxer to win this fight. He does need to avoid getting hit clean by Jake Paul’s right hand and can’t blitz recklessly. Woodley would be wise to use plenty of feints and go to the body to keep Jake Paul honest and should be able to outmuscle and outpower him when they tie up. He can’t merely rely on his bomb of a right hand.
Call it complete naivety or MMA bias, but I don’t see Woodley as a washed fighter – especially not in the context of fighting a 24-year-old glorified amateur. We’ll find out Sunday if Jake Paul bit off more than he can chew, or if this was the perfect opponent to launch his boxing career to the next stratosphere.
PROP BETS TO CONSIDER
The consensus narrative is it will end early like Jake Paul’s first three pro bouts did and the over/under is set at 3.5 rounds with the under as a minus-125 favourite. Both men have proven KO power and have said they’re looking to end it quickly, however I expect a bit more clinching than we’ve seen in previous Jake Paul fights and I’m drawn to the over 3.5 rounds prop at minus-115.
Although it wouldn’t be shocking to me to see this one go the distance, it would be somewhat surprising if we didn’t see at least one knockdown in the bout. I keep envisioning Woodley slipping a punch and landing a lightning right hand over the top that catches Jake Paul off guard and sends him to the canvas, so Jake Paul to be knocked down at any point in the fight is something I’m eyeing at plus-105. If Woodley were to knock Jake Paul down at any point within the first three rounds specifically you can get plus-240 odds for a nice little bump.
All listed odds via Bodog as of Friday
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