5 World Champions Have Called Out Jake Paul Since Mike Tyson Fight

Love him or hate him, Jake Paul is one of the biggest names in modern day boxing. Such is the social media superstar’s global appeal that his fights have become major events – even when the opposition is questionable.

‘The Problem Child’ has more former UFC stars on his professional record than active boxers, but that hasn’t stopped him doing big business in the ring. Nowhere was that more apparent than at AT&T Stadium earlier this month when more than 70,000 people turned up to watch Paul dominate the legendary Mike Tyson over eight, largely-depressing rounds.

Once the most feared heavyweight on the planet, Tyson’s body simply could not perform to the standard he was asking it to at 58 years old. For as commercially successful as the bout was, many big names were furious that the bout took place at all, with a number keen to step into the ring with Paul to teach him a lesson for picking a fight with an icon 31 years his elder.

From reigning champions to legends of both boxing and MMA, below is a look at the five current or former world champions to have challenged Paul since his win over ‘Iron Mike’, ranked by how likely he is to actually face them.

5 Artur Beterbiev

Reigning undisputed light heavyweight champion

Undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev, who defeated Dmitry Bivol in October to gain that status, was one of the first big names to call Paul out after his win over Tyson, writing on social media just a few hours later:

“@JakePaul what can you do in the ring against the current undisputed champion? Just know I’m always open to any suggestions.” It didn’t take Paul long to respond:

“Just seen this… top 5 pound-for-pound fighter in the world calling me out. Hahahahaha. 4 years in and I run this sport.”

While Beterbiev might be open to the idea, his chances of convincing any of the four sanctioning bodies that Paul – who has never fought at light heavyweight – deserves a shot at a world title is slim. The 39-year-old also appears to have his next fight set, as he is expected to rematch Bivol on the 22nd of February next year.

4 Daniel Dubois

Reigning IBF heavyweight champion

Dubois might be coming off the biggest win of his career following his fifth-round demolition of Anthony Joshua in September, but that didn’t stop him challenging Paul in the wake of the Tyson fight.

‘Dynamite’ called out Paul through a direct message on Instagram, choosing to keep the conversation private – or so he thought. Paul would soon leak the contents.

Dubois wrote: “Hi Jake. Good business on the weekend, but how would you feel fighting for the legitimate heavyweight championship? This is Daniel Dubois calling you out. Let’s get it on.” Paul opted for a short and sweet response, simply telling the heavyweight champion to “Get in line.”

Even if he changed his mind on accepting the fight, Paul would likely struggle to get approval from the IBF to challenge for its heavyweight crown. The 27-year-old does at least have a heavyweight ranking following his victory over Tyson, but is massively undersized for the division.

Dubois would have both a significant size and experience advantage over Paul if they faced off. The Londoner is also a fighter in his prime, which makes the potential fight even more challenging for ‘The Problem Child’. Their back-and-forth made plenty of headlines, but it’s unlikely to amount to much more than a social media squabble.

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3 Andre Ward

Former unified super middleweight and light heavyweight world champion

Paul has a long list of opponents on his resume who have been well past their best when he fought them, with Tyson being a prime example. However, despite having been out of the ring for seven years, Ward would likely still have far too much skill for ‘The Problem Child’ to handle.

The Oakland native held world titles at 168 lbs and 175 lbs and is rightly considered one of the best American super-middleweights of all time. Now 40, ‘S.O.G’ may not quite be the technical wizard he once was, but few got close to him in 32 professional fights – and relative boxing novice Paul would almost certainly be in for a rough night if the pair met today.

In an interview with Stephen A. Smith, Ward insisted he was “open for a discussion” with Paul regarding a fight, claiming he meets the age requirement to be one of his opponents.

“Since you [Paul] like fighting older guys, I’m an older guy,” Ward said. “I haven’t touched a ring in seven years, so I think it would be interesting.” Perhaps wisely, Paul has yet to respond.

2 Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson

Former UFC and Bellator light heavyweight champion

If Paul wants to be taken seriously as a professional boxer, the time has come for him to stop taking on retired MMA legends in the squared circle. However, ‘Rampage’ Jackson – as one of the most charismatic men in the history of the sport – knows how to sell a fight.

Jackson hasn’t fought in any discipline for nearly five years. His most recent bout came in December 2019, when he was stopped by Russian MMA icon Fedor Emelianenko. That lack of activity, though, didn’t stop him calling Paul out recently.

Telling Paul he was “sick of him picking his own opponents in lopsided fights,” Rampage had a unique offer for the former Disney Channel star:

Of every fight ranked here, a bout with the 46-year-old ‘Rampage’ would be the most winnable of them all for Paul if it were in a boxing match. The 27-year-old already has wins over retired MMA stars such as Ben Askren, Nate Diaz, Anderson Silva and Mike Perry inside the squared circle.

Facing off with Jackson inside the cage would be a bigger risk. However, Paul has repeatedly insisted that he intends to make his MMA debut in 2025 – and a meeting with a well past his prime ‘Rampage’ could appeal to him.

1 Julio Cesar Chavez Jr

Former WBC middleweight champion

The son of one of the greatest Mexican boxers of all time, Chavez Jr held the WBC middleweight title between June 2011 and September 2012. While he possessed a fair degree of talent, Chavez Jr traded on his family name from the very start of his pro career – and was favourably matched for many of his first 40 fights in the paid ranks. He still had to win the bouts, which he did, but Chavez often competed in fights he was expected to win – much like Paul.

On the rare occasions he stepped up to the elite level, Chavez was handily beaten by the likes of Sergio Martinez and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. In the seven years since being thrashed by Canelo, he’s only fought seven times – and lost three of those contests.

The most noteworthy of those defeats was a loss to former UFC middleweight champion, Anderson Silva, in a boxing match where Chavez Jr looked completely uninterested in fighting. Paul would go on to defeat ‘The Spider’ when they met in the ring a year later.

Paul has long floated the idea of fighting Chavez Jr – almost certainly due to his status as a former world champion – for several years now. The Mexican fighter even picked up his first win in two-and-a-half years on the undercard of Paul’s fight with Mike Perry in July.

It now seems as though the pair are destined to meet. In a recent Instagram post, Chavez Jnr called Paul:

That challenge appears to have paid dividends as Chavez Jr now claims to be in pole position to face Paul next.

“It’s an option, we’re looking into it. Let’s see, this week I have a meeting. I’d be interested in fighting a champion, but fighting Jake Paul for the fame and the media would put me in a position to fight against others. I’m not looking for it, it’s been presented.”

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