BOXING
Jake Paul criticizes influencer boxers who don’t take the sport seriously
The social media celebrity and now boxer said other influencers who tried their luck in boxing should take it more seriously than they do.
Jake Paul is making the final preparations for his boxing fight against UFC legend Nate Diaz this Saturday at American Airlines Center in Dallas.
The younger of the Paul brothers is the favorite going into the 10-round showdown, while the 38-year-old Stockton native will try to pull off the upset.
When Jake got in touch with the sweet science for the first time, many were skeptical about his intentions and dedication and didn’t give him much of a chance in his potential career in boxing.
However, The Problem Child proved many people wrong, as he defeated all the opponents he faced before the Tommy Fury fight, where he lost his undefeated status via split decision.
Paul criticizes other influencer boxers
Against Diaz, Paul hopes to get back to winning ways in spectacular fashion. He has repeatedly said he will knock the MMA artist out. If it happens or not, it will be seen on Saturday night, but what seems undeniable is that the social media star has taken boxing very seriously from the beginning.
After he started his boxing adventure, many influencers decided to do the same looking for success and even more popularity, but Paul believes most of them don’t take the sport seriously.
“It’s tough because they are not going to listen. I don’t think it’s my job. Influencers and YouTubers are crazy. It’s just tough because we want to create new eyeballs for the sport but don’t want it to be a gimmick. Don’t be a gimmick. Don’t do cringe sh*t and get your skill up”, he said to BoxingScene.com.
“You want to promote yourself, have big fights, and make a name for yourself, start in the gym. That’s really why people don’t realize why I got so big. Yeah, I said a lot of things and I talked a lot of sh*t but if I weren’t able to back it up, no one would have cared”, Paul added.
“When I was knocking people out flat cold, that’s what made me the biggest one in the space. So focus more on your skill level versus doing these crazy PR stunts”, he advised other social media celebrities.
“I’m not in the YouTube boxing world. That whole crazy, tag-team style stuff, influencers versus influencers – that was my first fight three and a half years ago. I’m not in that world. My cards are filled with world champions, the best of the best, and the highest levels of competition. And that’s what I think others should do. They should come into the sport – obviously, it’s cool to fight the influencers – but it’s time to take things more seriously”, he concluded.
Paul will be looking to get the seventh win of his career and try to rematch Tommy Fury. Diaz, who will be granted a nice paycheck, will trust in his durability and pressure to put Paul in trouble.