Jake Paul Slams The Heavyweights For Ducking Each Other, Eddie Hearn Responds
Jake Paul has slammed the heavyweight division for not putting on the biggest fights.
The top four heavyweights in the division, Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, are at a crossroads in their career.
Joshua and Wilder have been linked with a mega fight in Saudi Arabia in December. Meanwhile, an undisputed bout with Fury and Usyk has failed to materialize.
In between that, aside from Usyk who faces Daniel Dubois and Joshua who fights Dillian Whyte, none of the other heavyweights officially have a fight lined up.
And that has set the division back with fans not getting the fights they want.
“For me the heavyweight division’s in shambles. The heavyweight division right now is the only division that’s not stepping up to the plate and making the big fights happen.
“We’re not getting Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua, we’re not getting Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk, we’re not getting Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder, we’re not getting Deontay Wilder vs Andy Ruiz.
“Like, what are these guys doing? Come on, let’s make the sport a better place.You guys get paid to fight, so get in there and stop ducking each other,” Paul
But in order to counter that, Paul is keen on facing Conor McGregor in what would be a huge boxing event. The pair had been linked with a fight when Paul had reportedly offered ‘Notorious’ $50 million.
And if Paul does manage to overcome Diaz, he has targeted McGregor as his next victim.
“When I knock out Nate Diaz, I think that Conor McGregor’s going to see me, want a payday, and come and get knocked out. We can fight in the PFL smart cage, whatever it is.
“I told everybody I would fight Conor in any form of fight, because, in my opinion, he is that shot. I’ll do MMA, I’m not afraid,” Paul stated
But it is not just in the ring that Paul is making waves. He has been integral in getting fighters the biggest paydays of their careers.
This was most notably seen when Tommy Fury secured a reported $5 million when he faced the ‘Problem Child.’
And given that Fury’s record of fighters prior to that was mostly journeymen, the fight had life-changing consequences.
As a result of that bout, Fury has had the chance to make a fight with KSI, giving him another opportunity to get a lucrative purse.
In addition to this, Paul has managed to make some noise in women’s boxing. The star has aided Amanda Serrano’s career by signing and promoting the undisputed featherweight champion on her cards.
And in the process of doing so, she became the first Puerto Rican to achieve her title feat. As such, both Katie Taylor and Serrano praised Paul’s contribution to boxing.
“I understand that someone like Jake never really had much boxing background, he’s getting there. These big fights, big paydays — there’s fighters out there who have worked long and hard in the gym since they’re nine or 10 years of age, and they’re not getting those pay days as well. But you can’t criticize him [Paul]. He’s just a great businessman, he’s doing his job. He’s getting into the ring and willing to get punched in the face. I definitely like his courage, it’s very hard to criticize him,” Taylor said
“Some of the other [influencer boxers] are just sort of for views, but Jake Paul is the real deal, and he’s training hard. He’s pushed this fight [Taylor-Serrano] for us to make the money that we are making and making it at Madison Square Garden,” Serrano revealed
Eddie Hearn Responds To Paul
Paul’s comments generated a response from Hearn who came out with a passionate defence of Joshua. This was on the basis that the Brit’s resume stands up with the best of them.
Fights with Vladimir Klitschko, Usyk and Whyte were testament to that. Not only that, but the Brit has already been a unified heavyweight champion, as well as a two-time world champion.
As such, Hearn backed up ‘AJ’ by detracting Paul’s criticism away from him.
“When you look at AJ’s CV, I don’t see the criticism. I think he’s always been in those big fights, and he is an occasion. He’s going to make an absolute fortune to fight Deontay Wilder, but he wants to risk it all against Dillian Whyte because he loves the excitement, he loves the thrill.
“Even Oleksandr Usyk is facing Daniel Dubois before he maybe fights Tyson Fury. So, I think you’ve got a couple of good fights there for the heavyweight landscape,” Hearn
Boxing clearly needs to change with the biggest fights not being made. And if Paul can contribute to that, then that can only be a good thing.
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