Tom Wood
As far as divisive figures in world sport go, Jake Paul's name is never too far from anyone's lips.
However, the man who claims he single-handedly 'saved' boxing says that there is much more to him than meets the eye, and that people shouldn't even try to read too far into his public image.
Ahead of his 6 August match-up with Hasim Rahman Jr. at Madison Square Garden, Paul spoke out against those who believe everything they read about him, claiming that while he always exhibits the ‘real Jake Paul’ people can't truly know who he is in private.
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In fact, he says it's 'not possible'.
Paul has quickly become one of the biggest draws in the boxing world, despite his bout with Rahman being the first time he has faced off against a professional boxer.
However, much of the paying public and the boxing fraternity are dead set against Paul, believing that his cocky swagger and arrogant public persona is indicative of a young upstart waiting to be taken down a peg.
While ‘The Problem Child’ is in no hurry to dispel those perceptions of himself, he clearly believes there is much more to him than that.
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He told LADbible: “No-one knows me, you know, you can see this interview and think you know me, but you f***ing don't.
“Until you've spent four, five [or] six years with me, you don't know what I'm like.
“Only my very close group of friends [and] team that know who I actually am, and it’s just [as] simple as that.”
![Paul claims he'll 'shut [everyone] up' on 6 August.](https://images.ladbible.com/resize?type=webp&quality=1&width=3840&fit=contain&gravity=auto&url=https://images.ladbiblegroup.com/v3/assets/bltcd74acc1d0a99f3a/blt1b2ee933741e69c4/62e276486aabc33f173015a8/293817661_981574569178751_587948059747891366_n.jpeg)
Despite claiming that no-one can truly know him from the media, there does seem to be a lot of authenticity to Paul’s confident and often brash public demeanour.
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However, his private world seems to be something that he guards closely.
He continued: “This is the real Jake Paul. You always get the real Jake Paul.
“It just like we're in an interview right now – you're asking me questions, and I'm answering them how I feel.
“That's so different than us sitting in watching a football game or going out to dinner and talking about dogs in our favourite food and memories and jokes and the time we got f***ed up and did some stupid s**t and jumping jet skis and ‘what's your hobbies?’ and ‘what do you like?’ and ‘look at this new truck I'm building’.
“No one will ever get to know me or what makes me tick through a f***ing interview.”
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As his profile grows, more and more people have been forced to sit up and take notice, not only of his undefeated boxing record, but also his attitude to fight promotion and influence on the professional boxing world.
Like him or not, Paul has shaken up the establishment, brought fresh eyes to the sport, and – to his enduring credit – championed fights such as the incredible bout between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano that sold out Madison Square Garden in late April.
With that added profile comes more attention on his character, as people attempt to understand the man behind the boasting.
“I think people do try, and that’s what is sad," he explained.
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“It’s just not possible. People will try to judge celebrities all the time based off media headlines or things that they say.
“You are getting a glimpse into 10 to 15 minutes of how I think about me fighting, that is one percent of who is Jake Paul.
“I’m so much more intricate than that and there’s so much more to me than that, that again no-one will ever get to know.
“You have to have a really sharp sense of people to really depict who someone is behind all the media, and to be honest I only think it is possible and able to be done by other celebrities.”
One thing that will become clear in due course is whether Paul’s confidence and skills tally up against a boxer with scores of amateur wins and more than twice as many professional bouts in Hasim Rahman Jr.
Win that, and the boxing world might not just notice him, but start to show a bit of respect as well.
Jake Paul vs Hasim Rahman Jr. is live at Madison Square Garden on 6 August. Tickets are available at MSG.com and the fight will air live on DAZN in the UK.