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It won’t be long before Jake Paul dons a pair of boxing gloves again.
The controversial content creator-boxer explicitly stated that he would not be fighting in the first half of the year in order to focus on promoting the upcoming women’s undisputed lightweight title bout between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, whom Paul manages. The fight is scheduled to take place April 30 and will be the first time a women’s title bout will headline Madison Square Garden in New York City.
According to Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza, his talks with Paul suggest the social media influencer could be gloving up again by the end of the year, possibly as early as late summer.
“Jake had a pretty busy year last year with three big events,” Espinoza told FightHubTV. “We’re discussing with him if there’s a fight later this summer or a little bit later. He’s definitely anxious to get back in the ring. He’s got a lot of other business going on, took a little time off. But we’re engaged.
Paul (5-0, 4 KOs) signed a multi-bout deal with Showtime last year, appearing on pay-per-view twice, both times against former UFC champion Tyron Woodley. Paul defeated Woodley by split decision in the first bout, which took place at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland in August. The second bout – which took place in December and was originally supposed to involve Tommy Fury but who had to bow out because of an injury – saw Paul defeat Woodley again, this time with a one-punch knockout in the sixth round at Amalie Arena in Tampa Florida. Paul started the year off with a first-round stoppage over Ben Askren, but that card was promoted by Triller.
Espinoza said Tommy Fury, the half-brother of WBC heavyweight titlist Tyson Fury, is still a possibility for Paul.
“He’s looking for a big-name opponent, whether it’s Tommy Fury or somebody else,” Espinoza said of Paul.
Espinoza has been pleased with the ripple effect Paul has created in boxing the past year, especially as it relates to Paul’s ability to attract fans to a sport that is perpetually perceived to be on the brink of extinction.
“I think he’s been a net positive for the boxing business,” Espinoza said. “He’s brought in new eyeballs. There was a Harris poll…and they did a poll in the middle of last year, June 2021, and asked people, ‘Are they a fan of the sport?’ and they had a list of different sports. Boxing was the number four sport behind football, basketball, and baseball in the U.S., ahead of tennis, golf, hockey, and MMA.”