Jake Paul has credited his discovery of the sport of boxing with ‘saving his life’, and said that without it he’d be ‘in jail or probably dead somewhere’.
The YouTuber has been involved in boxing for a while now, dividing opinion on whether he’s now an actual athlete or still a pretender simply in the sport for his own amusement.
However, his record so far speaks for itself, given that he’s never lost a fight.
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OK, so he’s not actually fought any boxers yet – fighting UFC martial artists and the occasional basketballer – but still, an undefeated record is an undefeated record.
The 25-year-old still has many years left to prove that he’s got the credentials to hang with more seasoned athletes, and – either way – he’s clearly glad that he came to the sport when he did.
Speaking to MMA Mania, ‘The Problem Child’ explained: "Boxing saved my life, so I owe a ton to it.
“I would be in jail or probably dead somewhere if it weren’t for boxing because I was going down a really weird path in my early 20s that wasn’t sustainable and because of that I owe everything to this sport.
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"That’s why I’m so passionate about making boxing great again. I have the hat that says make boxing great again... I’ll slowly earn more people’s respect."
Paul also went on to say that he understands the scepticism that some people have about his boxing career.
The media attention that he gets is up there with the biggest stars in the game, but he has yet to fight a professional boxer of note in his five-fight career.
Paul continued: "I understand people’s perspective about how it’s a circus and how this isn’t boxing but again all I’m doing is putting in the work and trying to get better in the gym and fighting tougher opponents each time."
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After starting out against YouTuber Deji, Paul has fought ex-NBA star Nate Robinson, UFC fighters Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley, who he then rematched.
He added: "I respect this sport more than anything.
"I think anyone that puts on the 10 oz gloves and gets in that squared circle should be respected because you’re risking your life at the end of the day and that’s why I take this very seriously.
"All I ever wanted to do is to contribute to the sport, bring new eyeballs to the sport, help fighters get paid more."
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It’s not clear who Paul will take into the ring next, but if he wants to be taken seriously, someone with a boxing background is surely a must.
One thing is for certain, those within and without the boxing fraternity will be watching his next move closely.
If he starts beating career boxers, perhaps people will start seeing his own skills in a different light.
Tom Wood