Two years ago, Jake Paul made his boxing debut in Miami, Florida. To many, it appeared to be a publicity stunt that could go horribly wrong. Instead, it turned out to be one of the best decisions of his young career. Paul kicked off a three-fight knockout streak that created social media buzz and generated millions of dollars. More recently, he scored a highlight reel knockout against former UFC Champion Tyrone Woodley. Now, he has a showdown with Hasim Rahman Jr. set for August 6 at Madison Square Garden. If he is able to get by the larger challenger, Paul believes that he has what it takes to become a world champion.
“[My] goal is to be the light heavyweight champion of the world in three to four years and to fight the biggest names in the sport,” he said during a recent appearance ESPN’s First Take.
In order to reach his goal, Paul can no longer fight the likes of Nate Robinson and Ben Askren. Instead, he will have to fight the likes of Rahman Jr. and potentially Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. While those fights may prove to be too much for the YouTube sensation turned pro fighter, the Ohio native is up for the challenge.
“I’m going to keep on progressing each time and getting harder and harder fights,” he explained.
“The celebrity and basketball stuff, that’s sort of in the past. … [Boxing’s] my life. I don’t do anything else besides work on boxing from the time I wake up; it’s a morning practice.”
Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol currently hold all the belts in the light heavyweight division. It is highly unlikely that Paul would land a fight with either champion, but he believes that anything is possible at this point.
