Is Jake Paul closer to a professional boxer than a celebrity boxer?

By Oli Dickson Jefford

Jake Paul has divided boxing fans like no other figure in recent times.

The 24-year-old attracted controversy when rising to fame as a YouTube personality and has continued to do so since stepping into the ring.

Paul has won all five of his fights to date with four wins by knockout, and recently he has been bigging up his chances of forging a successful boxing career.

However, many have disputed this and have accused the American of simply being a ‘celebrity boxer’ and not anywhere near the level of a professional fighter.

So, has Paul crossed over into becoming a serious fighter, or is he still effectively a social media star with over-ambitious aims of a successful career?

Questionable fights 

The biggest barrier Paul faces in backing up his claims is the relatively weak field faced in his five fights.

Paul started his professional fighting career almost two years against another YouTuber, AnEsonGib, before his second fight was against former basketballer Nate Robinson.

Since then he has stepped up slightly, facing former MMA star Ben Askren before taking on Tyron Woodley twice.

However, this is clearly not the kind of fights that someone looking to step into professional boxing should be taking.

AnEsonGib and Robinson themselves are not professionals in any way, shape or form, while Askren and Woodley are not exactly the highest quality opponents he could have taken on either.

It should also be taken into account that Paul was meant to take on Tyson Fury's half-brother Tommy Fury last month, before the Brit pulled out for medical reasons and Woodley stepped in for a rematch.

Fury himself has faced questions about the legitimacy of his career, often accused of using the ‘Fury’ name to his advantage and of boosting his profile by appearing on Love Island before turning pro.

And the petty and often childish barbs traded between the two in recent months made it seem as if both simply wanted attention and to build hype before the fight.

If Paul does want to be seen as a professional boxer, he needs to step up in terms of opposition and also understand that he is nowhere near being boxing’s biggest draw.

Physical changes

There is no doubt that Paul has undergone a huge physical transformation over the past couple of years.

He is now in incredible shape, looking as fit as many boxers do.

This is one area where the American has demonstrated the attitude required to become a professional boxer.

He is clearly not afraid of the physical demands and sacrifices that need to be made in this sport and has committed himself to the training in the build-up to all of his fights.

There are potential questions about whether he would make even further sacrifices should he face bigger, more important fights down the road, but it looks more than possible he would be willing to make them.

Is he closer to a professional boxer?

Jake Paul is definitely still more of a celebrity boxer at the moment.

He has largely fought in ‘grudge’ matches against fellow reality stars or unproven boxers at this stage, courting attention and large amounts of money.

Recent comments suggest that he would move to MMA if offered a good enough contract by Dana White also show that he is not 100% committed to the sport and that, largely, this move to the ring is more about money and creating headlines.

There is perhaps some potential there in terms of how he approaches his training, but he still has a lot to change and to prove to move towards being a fully-fledged professional boxer.

Photo Credit: Getty Images