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Leaving little doubt of their second assembly, Jake Paul flattened former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley with a shocking sixth-round knockout on Saturday. So is it now time to take the YouTube prankster severely?
Maybe we should always have listened to him.
The final time the fighters spoke to the press earlier than the bout on the Amalie Area in Tampa, at Friday’s weigh-in, the 24-year-old had promised that we had been about to see a “totally different” Jake Paul.
“We’re f*ckin’ buckin’ in the midst of the ring. No humorous sh*t. No humorous sh*t like final time, I’m f*cking him up!” Paul threatened.
When Paul and Woodley locked horns in August, there was controversy after Paul was rocked within the fourth spherical however managed to carry on for a controversial factors win.
Knocking his foe out chilly with a one-punch KO this time spherical, nonetheless, this logically suggests an enchancment.
And whereas his desires of changing into a world champion is likely to be pie within the sky for now with the likes of Mairis Briedis holding two belts at cruiserweight and pound-for-pound nice Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez about to enter the division, maybe Paul deserves extra respect on the very least.
For all his loudmouthed outbursts, plainly Paul respects boxing for a begin.
Although we aren’t aware about what he will get as much as each single second of the day, the YouTuber does share a good quantity of his goings-on with the general public on social media and seems to stay the lifetime of an expert fighter.
At all times in impeccable form, he’s a health club rat when not along with his girlfriend Julia Rose, and the clips he posts on-line present he takes coaching sincerely and is making an sincere try to grasp the candy science.
Although he’s but to step as much as 10-round bouts, it isn’t simply any previous chancer that may go the gap with Woodley, although each males had the gang stressed final evening from fixed clinching and an absence of motion because the motion dragged on.
Let’s not overlook that earlier than present ruler Kamaru Usman dethroned him in March 2019, Woodley had put 4 UFC title defenses collectively and was being talked of as probably among the many best MMA welterweights of all time.
Paul was not combating a no one on Saturday evening, irrespective of how far Woodley has fallen from his heyday contained in the cage.
That being stated, Woodley is neither a cruiserweight, the place each of the Paul fights have taken place, nor a boxer by commerce.
Calling out the pair consistently, Paul, if he’s to proceed taking over UFC fighters, ought to look in the direction of the likes of Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz for a correct take a look at within the squared circle.
Woodley and his earlier foe Ben Askren, who Paul knocked out in a single spherical, are higher recognized for his or her wrestling pedigree. However no less than Diaz and Masvidal are real strikers counseled for the best way they throw arms, even when Diaz can be an achieved Brazilian Jiu-jitsu specialist.
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Maybe it isn’t Paul’s fault that he has by no means confronted a ‘correct’ boxer both. In any case, do not forget that he was all lined as much as tackle Tyson Fury’s half-brother Tommy till the Brit pulled out with a damaged rib and chest an infection.
Himself a 7-0 novice who has solely ever been in with one fighter with a profitable file, Fury’s resume is arguably far much less spectacular, with two of his foes shedding 26 bouts every and one other a whopping 102.
Whereas Paul is changing into higher generally known as a fighter, Fury, in his homeland, remains to be a Love Island contestant dwelling within the shadows of his sibling and father.
One different legitimate criticism of Paul is the age of those that stand reverse him. Nate Robinson – his second sufferer – and Askren are 37, and Woodley is an excellent older 39.
If Paul is admittedly solely comfy taking over veterans for now however desires to make a reputation for himself as a pugilist, he ought to possibly be aiming in the direction of actual cruiserweights both on or heading to the opposite facet of 35.
Folks like Ilunga Makabu, who misplaced to Tony Bellew combating for the WBC belt at Everton’s Goodison Park, or Thabiso Mchunu, who was overwhelmed by Oleksandr Usyk for the WBO strap in 2016, would match this invoice. And there’s additionally former gentle heavyweight king Badou Jack, now campaigning at 200lbs.
There may be additionally a murky component to think about in Paul’s trajectory. The break up determination within the first Woodley bout was disputed in August.
There have additionally been accusations of Paul’s refusal to adjust to VADA drug testing for his bouts by the Fury camp, and neither he nor Woodley had been topic to random testing from the physique for his or her rematch.
As Paul has identified, although, the Florida Athletic Fee did perform testing in combat week, however Woodley says he by no means took a drug take a look at for the Ohio assembly.
Finally, Saturday evening in Florida exhibits that Jake Paul deserves to be lower extra slack for the way severely he takes his boxing profession, although won’t ever be really revered till he has confronted a real boxer below the total scrutiny {that a} skilled contest warrants.
By Tom Sanderson
The statements, views and opinions expressed on this column are solely these of the writer and don’t essentially characterize these of RT.
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