Last weekend we saw the boxing match that the world has been talking about for months. Internet celebrity, Jake Paul (3-0), took on former MMA world champion, Ben Askren. This was the first legit combat sports athlete to face Paul inside the squared circle.
That said, Askren might be the worst striker in MMA history when it comes to former world champions. Askren was an Olympic level wrestler but he was never known for good striking. However, Askren was willing to step in there with Jake Paul to see exactly what he was made of.
1.5 million PPV buys and a first round knockout later showed Ben Askren that Jake Paul is insanely popular and he has quite the right hand. With a first round knockout win over Ben Askren, Jake Paul has his first legit boxing victory. However, a win over Askren is still nothing to write home about.
After the boxing match, former UFC world champion Tyron Woodley called out Paul. However, there seems to be no interest from the Paul camp in boxing the former champion. With that being said, what is the strategy for Jake Paul’s boxing career? Who will Jake Paul be fighting next?
Jake Paul’s next boxing opponent
Let’s be very clear about the fact that Jake Paul is smart. He might act like an idiot, but he’s very smart and he has some business savvy people around him. Jake Paul has dedicated his life to boxing, but he’s not good enough to jump in with legit strikers.
After three years of training, Paul can do some serious damage to guys who don’t know how to strike in the boxing ring. However, seasoned strikers would pick apart even his smallest mistakes. Jake Paul is not going to take a risky fight next and that’s important to keep in mind.
For his next venture into boxing, I expect Jake Paul to take on Dillon Danis (2-0 MMA). Danis and Paul have had a ton of verbal back and forths over the last year. Danis is a world champion in Jiu Jitsu, but he’s not known for his boxing. I think most would favor Jake Paul in that matchup.
With that said, I think Danis is the clear favorite. It’s a favorable matchup for Jake Paul and he would be boxing a legit fighter. Unlike Askren, Danis is an active mixed martial artist competing in Bellator. If Paul were to win that matchup expect his chirping to become even louder.