Jake Paul is one hundred percent focused on his preparation for the July 20 fight against Mike Tyson. The exhibition bout has the content creator working overtime preparing for him in boxing, even if it means delaying his other plans, such as his mixed martial arts (MMA) debut.
Paul’s attitude is understandable. Although the almost 30-year age difference evens the scales, “Iron Mike” is one of the toughest opponents the YouTuber-turned-boxer has faced in his short career.
So far, the only loss on Paul’s 9-1 record was against Tommy Fury, the only professional boxer he has faced. Although the result was a split decision and Fury is far from being a top-class boxer, this shows the difference that still exists between so-called influencer boxing and professional boxing.
That is why Paul has decided to focus on boxing, even at the cost of delaying his long-awaited debut in MMA. It is worth remembering that the influencer has signed a contract to fight with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) promotion in 2024.
Paul’s debut will have to wait
PFL manager Donn Davis assured that Jake Paul will debut in MMA but also admitted that plans are on hold due to his fight with Tyson. “So his development in MMA is not coming along as quickly as we thought. Will he fight for the PFL? One hundred percent,” Davis declared.
The businessman was optimistic about Paul’s development at the promotion. “The good news is, if people didn’t think Jake was serious about combat, he’s proven to be serious,” he explained.
He’s gotten better. He’s doubled down on boxing at the minute, there’s no question about it,” Davis emphasized, explaining, “There was a time when he might have done 50/50, and right now it looks like he might be 90 /10 in boxing and MMA.”
Paul divided between boxing and MMA
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The younger brother of influencer and fighter Logan Paul is currently in Colorado, training with the US Olympic boxing team. This shows how seriously he is taking his exhibition fight against Tyson.
However, Paul also set up a PFL-style cage at his training headquarters in Puerto Rico. Furthermore, the Problem Child does not miss the opportunity to engage in insults exchanges with as many MMA figures as possible.
In one of his recent posts on X, formerly Twitter, Paul responded to the unflattering statements of the UFC fighters Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz. He assured neither of them could defeat him in a boxing match, so he challenged them to face him in MMA but in the PFL cage.
