Why the world of combat sports should welcome Jake Paul with open arms

Has there ever been a more divisive figure in the sport of boxing than Jake Paul? The YouTuber-turned-pro boxer elicits a binary response from sports fans and the general public. You either hate him or love him — there is rarely any fence-sitting in this debate.

On Feb. 23, those praying for his downfall were duly rewarded. In the much-anticipated bout at Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah Arena in Riyadh — watched on by Cristiano Ronaldo and Mike Tyson — Paul slipped to a narrow split-decision defeat to Tommy Fury.

This was the real test that the boxing gatekeepers were convinced would derail the Jake Paul hype train. Having scored victories over, in order, a YouTuber, a former NBA star, a retired MMA star with no background in striking and three mildly legit wins over two ageing UFC stars — a pro boxer was bound to put Paul in his place.

But the American was still standing at the final bell. He was not knocked out and he was not outclassed. In fact, his neatly disguised jab in the final round sat Fury down and forced a count from the referee. He may have experienced defeat for the first time in his short boxing career, but Paul has begrudgingly earned a little more respect from the boxing world. Even Tommy’s big brother, and heavyweight boxing champion, Tyson Fury, conceded Paul did “brilliantly.”

While certain quarters of the internet are still basking in the schadenfreude, they are missing the point: Combat sports need Jake Paul.

Technical boxing skills aside, the 26-year-old has transformed boxing. The Pay-Per-View numbers and endorsements he pulled in as a headliner earned him the number 46 spot on Forbes’ 2022 50 Highest Paid Athletes list. Paul is estimated to have earned $38 million from just three fights. Tommy Fury