Jake Paul v Tyron Woodley Review

By Jonny Bray

In the sixth round of their clash, YouTuber Jake Paul knocked out Tyron Woodley to continue his remarkable run in celebrity boxing.

The 24-year-old continued to prove his doubters wrong by knocking Woodley’s block off in stunning style before calling out a slew of MMA stars.

Paul had initially planned to face English influencer, Love Island star and full-time boxer Tommy Fury.

The half-brother of two-time heavyweight champion of the world, Tyson Fury, had to pull out due to injury and illness in the run-up to his fight with Paul.

While that was a massive disappointment for fans, who had witnessed a fascinating build-up to the fight, Woodley showed a hell of a lot of bottle to fight Paul with just two weeks’ notice.

The fight

The first five rounds of the fight were actually quite dull. It felt like a celebrity boxing match and it felt like Woodley was fighting with two weeks’ notice.

I don’t think many people were watching the bout in the hope of witnessing a technical masterclass but it was maybe the best thing to happen to the subculture of celebrity boxing, with the fight showing that the contests can produce stunning knockouts and not just entertaining build-up.

If Paul can continue to put his opponents to sleep like that, then he could make a ridiculous amount of money in future contests, particularly in a rearranged fight against Fury.

What now?

Jake Paul actually has an incredible list of options coming out of this fight.

Firstly, he could just hang up his gloves and return to his life as a YouTuber and influencer.

This is unlikely but if he were to, he can leave with his head held high after proving a lot of people wrong.

He could also fight Fury, who will be furious that he was forced to pull out of this one.

But at the same time, will Fury be so keen to face Paul after seeing what he did against Woodley?

Then there are other options from the world of MMA, such as Nate Diaz, Jorge Masvidal, Kamaru Usman or maybe even Conor McGregor.

The growth of celebrity boxing

Being able to attract names like Diaz, Masvidal or McGregor would show just how profitable celebrity boxing can be.
The fights may not be physical spectacles but they carry a significant appeal, particularly amongst youngsters.
If people like Paul keep on delivering and professional boxers like Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua keep ducking the big fights, then there’s no reason why celebrity boxing can’t become the more profitable and popular of the two.

Is Paul a boxing star now?

Last night felt like a turning point for Paul. He’s proven that he’s no longer a joke and that he is a serious draw at the box office.

If you asked a casual boxing fan or a newcomer to sport to name five active boxers, you could argue that Paul’s name would be on a lot of those lists.He’s one of boxing’s biggest stars now, and everyone should be excited to see who the American takes on next.

Photo Credit: Getty Images