Well, the next Jake Paul sideshow spectacle has a date: August 29.
Not exactly a state secret, Paul has been linked to a boxing match with former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley for weeks. The Youtube personality and occasional boxer had previously knocked out Woodley’s Roufusport teammate, Ben Askren, in mere minutes earlier this year.
That was a fight many criticized, and for good reason. In essence, Paul knocked out an opponent over a decade older than him, who was coming off hip surgery and was best known as a wrestler with some of the worst boxing in all of mixed martial arts.
The Woodley match-up, meanwhile, at least feels more competitive, though “The Chosen One” has lost four straight in the cage, leading to his exit from the UFC. The allure of a big payday against Paul, whose fans seem to hand over their cash at the drop of a hat, appears to have lured Woodley to the ring.
Paul (3-0), alongside brother Logan, has helped bring about a second era of “Celebrity Boxing,” a phenomenon first witnessed in the early 2000s thanks to the FOX “reality” TV show of the same name. Unlike Logan, Paul has managed to win all of his contests to date — against fellow Youtube creator AnEsonGib, basketball star Nate Robinson, and Bellator/ONE champ Askren.
Notably, not a single one is an actual boxer.
Woodley (19-7-1 MMA, 0-0 boxing) was an NCAA Division I wrestler with no boxing experience, though he did prove to have knockout power in MMA. He defended his UFC welterweight title four times, with three wins and a draw. Woodley does not have a win since 2018 however.
The August 29 boxing spectacle will take place at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio, live on SHOWTIME PPV. Showtime happens to be the current U.S. broadcast partner of Bellator MMA. Yet while Paul has remained evasive about competing in the cage, another boxer who already has will join him on the August PPV card: Amanda Serrano.
Serrano will defend her boxing titles against super bantamweight world champion Yamileth Mercado as part of the Paul vs. Woodley event.
Woodley had some strong words for Paul ahead of the fight, as quoted in Monday’s press release. “I’m a grown ass man,” said Woodley. “I don’t play games with kids. They brought me in to take the trash out. You’re welcome!”
