After going eight rounds with 58-year-old Mike Tyson, Jake Paul, 28, is stepping into the ring once again—this time against another semi-retired fighter. The YouTuber-turned-boxer is set to face former Mexican world champion Julio César Chávez Jr., 39, on Saturday, June 28, at the Honda Center in Anaheim.
With a record of 11 wins, 1 loss, and 7 knockouts, Paul looks to continue his rise against Chávez Jr., a seasoned former WBC middleweight champion who holds a professional record of 54 wins, 6 losses, 1 draw, and 34 knockouts.
“Five years ago, I stepped into the ring for my pro debut after a single amateur fight, and every fight since has been a step towards becoming world champion. I just defeated the baddest man on the planet, and now I’m going against a former champion who conman Canelo couldn’t finish,” said Paul.
As for Chávez Jr., he says he’s feeling confident after years of being mostly inactive and making headlines for personal struggles, including addiction.
"First of all, I will show what I can do now that everything is in the right place in my life—mentally and physically,” he said.“I feel rejuvenated and 10 years younger. Second, I want to thank MVP for taking the risk of fighting me. Unfortunately for their Problem Child, they’re going to have a big problem this June—one they won’t know how to resolve. Hopefully, when I beat him, people won’t underestimate this win,” the boxer added.
Cesar Chavez Jr. told TV Boxeo if he loses, he will retire, "I can only talk about myself, not about other people, I am not here to criticise anyone. I talk by analysing boxing. I hope I can get a few million with Jake Paul. If he beats me, I'll retire; I don't get paid. I don't want money if I don't beat him. Retirement - not interested in his money if I do not win," he said.
It’s a 10-round cruiserweight bout (200 lbs), set to stream live on DAZN pay-per-view.
Also on the card is Golden Boy’s Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez. The WBO and WBA unified cruiserweight king will defend his titles against Cuba’s Yuniel Dorticós, a knockout artist and former world champ in his own right. It’s a 12-round world title fight, and Zurdo’s WBA mandatory.
Zurdo’s fight marks his first title defense since making history last year as the first Mexican-born unified cruiserweight champ. Dorticós is hungry for a third world title, but Zurdo says he’s locked in and “sharper than ever.”