Who will Jake Paul fight next? Conor McGregor? Anderson Silva?
With 3 bouts scrapped in the last 8 months, it’s clear that it’s not easy to find Paul a suitable rival. Would Silva or McGregor end this yearning delay?
The most anticipated comeback of one of the most popular fighters in the industry, Jake Paul, against Hasim Rahman Jr., was canceled on Saturday due to Rahman being unable to make the 200-pound weight limit agreed for the bout.
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Now, Paul (5-0, 4 KOs), who is also a massive social media superstar, continues to look for his first challenge against a real boxer- given his limited boxing experience- and many are wondering who he will fight next. In his 5-0 career, Paul has seen victories over fellow YouTuber Ali Eson Gib, former NBA player Nate Robinson and MMA fighters Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley, whom he defeated in an impressive sixth-round KO win last December, and has not played anyone else since.
Assuming that’s the case, Paul, who’s profile leads to his fights being pay-per-view attractions, has a few options: former UFC legend Anderson Silva, former boxing middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, the current No. 40 fighter Romano Kujak, among others. Keeping in mind that whoever his opponent is has to be someone fans would tune in to watch, and pay for.
While those are all viable options, why not go back to the original fighter the social media star was supposed to face in the first place? And twice?
Bring the Paul-Fury bout back
The two times Paul attempted to fight Tommy Fury, younger brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, the fights fell through for different reasons. The first fight, which was scheduled on Dec. of last year, Fury was injured, and the second one, which would have been happening right about now (Aug. 6), the British man was denied entry into the United States due to his family’s ties to Irish crime boss Daniel Kinahan. That’s when Rahman Jr. was slated to salvage the date and fight Paul.
Related: Why did the Jake Paul - Hasim Rahman Jr. boxing match get canceled?
The reality is that fighting Fury, especially outside of the US, would bring Paul the audience he’s used to as fans would tune in for an anticipated bout with those two, more than fighting Kujak or Chavez.