Jake Paul is back in the ring when he faces off with former UFC champion Tyron Woodley at the end of the month.
The fight between Paul and Woodley is an eight-round cruiserweight exhibition bout. It will take place on Sunday 29th August and will be held at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
The fight will be the controversial YouTuber’s fourth professional fight. While for Tyron Woodley, this will be his first professional fight as a boxer.
This is a major step up in class for Paul, who won his previous three professional boxing bouts with ease.
Despite never having boxed professionally, 39-year-old Woodley is an accomplished UFC fighter.
Back in 2016, he won the UFC welterweight title and successfully defended it four times.
Jake Paul goes into the contest as the sportsbooks’ favorite, but not by too much.
As alluded to, this is a massive step up in class for Paul. And there is also a lot of added spice to this fight.
Paul’s constant chatter seems to have got under the skin of Woodley, and there is a genuine dislike of each other.
Paul will hope that his younger years and experience in the ring will be enough to get him through this bout.
While despite his lack of experience in a rectangular ring, Woodley will believe his years fighting in the hexagon will give him the edge.
The fact that Paul is favorite with the betting sites is surprising to me. Either they are very impressed with Paul’s boxing credentials, or they maybe believe Woodley isn’t taking the fight as seriously as he could be!
With his background as a YouTuber, Jake Paul’s presence in combat sports is frowned upon by many.
On one hand, Paul claims he is the future of boxing, and the establishment needs to understand that and show him more respect.
On the other hand, Woodley is from the old school and sees this as an opportunity to rid the sport of infiltrators.
Paul has become a master of the art of trolling. He understands that to get his foot in the door of professional boxing, he needs to grab the attention of the big boys.
Fighting on Jake Paul’s undercard (did I just really write that!) are two established British boxers, Tommy Fury, and Daniel Dubois.
If you think the name Fury sounds familiar, that’s because it is. He is the younger brother of Tyson Fury, the boxing heavyweight world champion.
So if you think Jake Paul isn’t taken seriously, he clearly is. To have established boxers on his undercard speaks volumes.
Paul has also been constantly goading Fury over the past few weeks – ensuring the British fighter is aware of his intentions. He looks to be selecting his future opponents carefully!
Whether the boxing establishment likes it or not seems irrelevant. The Paul brothers have the attention of the big-name promoters and TV companies, as they sell PPV and put bums on seats.
Jake Paul has three professional boxing bouts to his name, and he has won them all.
His last fight was a win over Ben Askren in April of this year. Paul won by TKO, but the fight’s legitimacy has been questioned by some.
Askren comes from a similar background to Woodley. He is a former wrestler with MMA experience, and he briefly fought in the UFC.
Before the win over Askren, Jake Paul defeated former basketball player Nate Robinson, and British YouTuber Ali Loui Al-Fakhri (aka AnEsonGib).
Despite the opponents’ occupations, the fights were all professional.
There is no form to go by for Tyron Woodley. He is a 39-year-old mixed martial arts expert, TV presenter/analyst and UFC fighter.
He’s never fought in a boxing ring but does have recent experience fighting in the UFC hexagon. He certainly has a fighting pedigree, but can that be transferred to boxing is the question?
Woodley’s last four fights in the hexagon have ended in defeat. The most recent was in March of this year when he lost to Vincente Luque at UFC260.
Woodley has recent fight experience. He hasn’t just come back after a long layoff, so despite the different format, he has recent fight experience.
Will the superior ring craft be vital? Or is Woodley effectively just turning up for a large paycheck and an exhibition fight?
Either way, it looks like a no-lose for Woodley. So will he have the hunger, desire, or even boxing skills to take out Jake Paul?
Paul is shorter odds to win this bout than he was against Askren. This could be down to the fact that Askren was the first proper fighter Paul faced, and the YouTuber beat him easily!
Either way, I’m not convinced by Paul’s credentials against Woodley. How will Paul’s chin cope with a quality shot?
At some stage in his career, Paul will get found out, and I’m going for it to be in this fight.
Tip – Tyron Woodley To Win
About the Author
Over the last 10 years, Dean has sharpened his expertise in crafting and revising content for his soccer and cricket betting platforms. Driven by his passion for sports betting and writing, he embarked on a journey of writing about sports wagering. Although Dean's preferred areas of focus are the English Premier League and cricket, his extensive sports knowledge enables him to tackle nearly any sport. Gone are the days of traveling the world to witness events like FIFA World Cups and Ashes cricket, as Dean now prefers the comfort of his own home while enjoying sports.
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