Jake Paul tops Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., improves to 12-1 - ESPN

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Jake Paul's unlikely rise through the ranks in boxing continued with a unanimous decision win over former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on Saturday night.

Paul picked up arguably his biggest win to date against a former world champion, albeit one who was a decade removed from his prime years, in front of a sold-out pro-Chavez crowd at the Honda Center with scores of 99-91, 97-93 and 98-92.

«He's a tough guy,» Paul said. «He's never been stopped and he's a Mexican warrior. I respect Mexican warriors. I respect Mexico, but I'm also a warrior and I came out on top tonight.»

Although it was not quite like the atmosphere of Paul's blockbuster fight with Mike Tyson last November at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the energy in the Honda Center was on par with many championship fights. Born in Cleveland but now residing in Puerto Rico, Paul fed into being the enemy in hostile territory by walking out to «Lean Like a Cholo» by rapper Down AKA Kilo and wore a robe with the colors of the Mexican flag. Chavez entered the ring to a hero's welcome on the strength of the last name he shares with his legendary father.

But the past decade of the younger Chavez's life has been filled with disappointment as the former champion has been in and out of rehab and has a record of 6-5 in the ring. His checkered career has been filled with weight misses and discouraging performances. But he entered Saturday's fight seemingly in the best shape he has been in years. Unfortunately, his effort didn't translate in the ring.

Although the crowd's energy was behind Chavez, it wasn't enough for the Mexican fighter to deliver a crowd-pleasing performance. Instead, Chavez was lethargic for most of the fight, content