Jake Paul deserves respect for next boxing matchup

Dec 18, 2021; Tampa, FL, USA; Jake Paul celebrates after defeating Tyron Woodley at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Last week we learned that the boxing match between Jake Paul (5-0) and Tommy Fury (8-0) was off once again. The first time these two were supposed to meet in the squared circle, Fury had to pull out of the fight with an injury.

This time, Fury was denied access to the US and with his status unclear, the fight was pulled. Immediately Jake Paul’s camp started working on who his next boxing opponent would be. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much in terms of competition.

Then, late last week we got the news of his next opponent. My jaw almost hit the floor out of pure astonishment and shock. Jake Paul’s next boxing opponent is scheduled to be Hasim Rahman Jr (12-1).

At first, I was more surprised at Paul for taking a fight with someone that has the boxing experience and skill of Rahman Jr. Sure, Tommy Fury has more fights than Jake Paul and he’s undefeated, however, have you seen him box? There’s not a lot there to be impressed with.

However, the same can’t be said about Rahman.

Boxing Backstory

Come to find out, there’s more to the story than originally thought. Per Paul’s Instagram, Rahman and him got into a verbal altercation after a sparring session. There’s not a lot of details surrounding the session, but a visibly frustrated Rahman could be heard saying he was trying to give him professional work.

Things got pretty heated between the two and they had to be separated. Paul could be heard saying to take the boxing gloves off as if he was daring him to fight. Of course, no one had heard about this because there was nothing to hear about considering this fight was never going to happen.

However, Paul said he’s wanted this fight for years. All of Paul’s inner circle told him not to take this fight. Honestly, I agree with their assessment. This is a very low-reward and high-risk boxing match for Jake Paul. This is also the toughest opponent he would have ever faced.

One thing is for sure, I’m much more intrigued to watch this than him against Tommy Fury.