Five Years Later: A Reflection on Jake Paul’s Impact in The Sport of Boxing

The bell rang to signal the opening round of his professional debut, but one round was all it took for Jake Paul to secure a TKO win in his first fight against Ali Eson Gib of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (1-1), on January 30, 2020. The YouTube Star had only one amateur fight to his experience, and first laced a pair of boxing gloves just two years prior in 2018, at age 21. 

Driven by his newfound passion for the sweet science, Paul of Cleveland, Ohio (11-1, 7 KOs) turned to a different audience to expand his already massive following of over 20 million. 

Paul Goes From Viral on Social Media To Making Boxing Headlines

“The Problem Child” headlined his first pay-per-view card in his third fight as a pro against former Bellator and ONE welterweight champion Ben Askren of Cedar Rapids, Iowa (0-1), in April 2021. Askren landed hard on his side against the canvas as Paul connected with a right hook to the chin in the first round and earned his third consecutive stoppage victory. It was just the first of many headlines to follow in his new endeavor.

Paul added several high-profile wins to his resume over former UFC champions Anderson “The Spider” Silva and Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley, along with former UFC title challenger Nate Diaz. After winning his first six fights, he suffered an upset split decision loss against Tommy Fury of Manchester, England (10-0, 4 KOs) in February 2023, the sole loss of his career. 

Headlined at the Diriyah Arena in Saudi Arabia, the cruiserweight contest earned the highest boxing pay-per-view sales ever in the Middle East. According to Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, sales surpassed over 800,000 buys. 

The Cleveland native broke gate records in every American arena he fought in. Paul had the biggest moment of his career when he defeated former undisputed heavyweight champion “Iron” Mike Tyson of Brooklyn (50-7, 44 KOs) by unanimous decision last November in front of over 70,000 fans at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The main event, streamed live globally on Netflix, had 108 million live viewers globally, making it the most-streamed sporting event ever. At its peak, the contest reached 65 million concurrent streams worldwide and 38 million in the U.S.

With a gate of $18,117,072 at the home of the Dallas Cowboys, the fight doubled a previous combat sports gate record of $9 million, set by a super middleweight unification bout between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Billy Joe Sanders in May 2021. It also marked the highest combat sports gate in US history outside of Las Vegas.

Women’s Boxing Takes Significant Strides With a New Advocate in Paul 

“El Gallo” entered the boxing promotional business after he co-founded MVP, along with Bidarian in August 2021. Shortly after, MVP made its first major addition to the stable and signed seven-division world champion Amanda Serrano of Brooklyn (47-3-1, 31 KOs) to a promotional contract in September 2021. The move was a breakthrough for women’s boxing, as Paul aimed for equality and equal competition rules for female boxers. 

MVP and Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom boxing put together a historic matchup as undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor of Bray, Ireland (24-1, 6 KOs) put her titles on the line against Serrano in April 2022 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Taylor and Serrano became the first-ever women to headline at MSG in a championship fight that featured two of the women’s top pound-for-pound fighters.

Taylor retained the undisputed lightweight championship with a split decision win over Serrano, in front of a sold-out crowd of 19,187. The fight earned recognition as the NY Fights Women’s Fight of the Year.

Serrano defended the WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO featherweight titles in a unanimous decision win against Danila Ramos of Sao Paolo, Brazil (13-4, 1 KOs) in October 2023. Another milestone for equality in women’s boxing, the contest was the first-ever women’s unified championship fight contested over 12, three-minute rounds. 

“The Real Deal” was named the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) Female Fighter of the Year in 2023.

A rematch was set between the Brooklyn native against Taylor for the undisputed light-welterweight championship in the co-main event of Paul vs. Tyson last November. The defending champion prevailed over Serrano for a second time by unanimous decision, as Taylor retained the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and IBO light-welterweight titles.

The championship fight was the most-watched professional women’s sports event in US history, with 74 million live viewers globally. Serrano and Taylor both earned a record seven-figure payday, which set a new benchmark for pay equity in boxing.

Paul was featured on Sport Illustrated’s “The 50 Most Influential Figures in Sports” issue in 2023, celebrated for a revolution of boxing by advocating for equitable pay, and creating platforms for young fighters, particularly female boxers.