After defeating Mike Tyson in November, Jake Paul has become one of the most sought-after boxers. The former YouTuber is striving to gain more legitimacy in his boxing career, and he may have found the perfect opportunity. WBA titleholder Paul Bamba has publicly challenged him to a championship fight.
“Jake talks a lot about wanting to be a world champion, so my simple message to him is that I have something he wants—a real title,” Bamba told Bloody Elbow, via The Mirror. “You can come get it, fight for it, or keep doing the gimmick fights. At the end of the day, I’ve put in the work. You can say you’ve taken boxing seriously, and yeah, you’ve made a lot of money, but you haven’t earned anything in boxing.”
He continued, “If you think about how I started versus where I am now, I didn’t wait for an opportunity—I created one. I grabbed it by the horns and made things happen this year. Look at the facts: 14 fights, 14 KOs in one year. How many belts do I have here?”
Paul, known as the “Problem Child,” has attracted challenges from several boxers following his victory over former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in a match that, according to Netflix, drew a staggering 108 million global viewers.
Among those calling him out are high-profile names in boxing, including Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Roy Jones Jr., Daniel Dubois, Artur Beterbiev, Ryan Garcia, and more. However, Paul has yet to announce his next opponent. Paul recently teased a major announcement for January on social media.
Paul wants to be taken more seriously
On the other hand, Paul has also addressed his ambitions in boxing, expressing his frustration for not taking seriously due to the rivals he has faced. “F*** the rankings. It’s just a number. Who cares? People just want to classify things and do a numbers chart,” he said, according to The Mirror.
“I’ve never looked at the rankings. I couldn’t care less. I know I’m the best in the world and I’m going to be world champion. There’s a long line out there and they can take a ticket and get in line to see who I want to fight next,” he explained.
Loyal to his persona, he continued: “I don’t say that as s— talk – I’m the biggest payday in the sport of boxing right now, so everyone wants to fight. When you’re the hot girl on the block, you can do what the f— you want.”
Paul has an 11–1 record, with seven of those wins coming by knockout. His victories include triumphs over MMA veterans such as Nate Diaz and Tyron Woodley. Despite this success, uncertainty surrounds his next opponent, as Paul has yet to announce his future plans.