Jake Paul talks football, boxing and brotherly love
Jake Paul spoke with Mackenzie Salmon about his company’s new fantasy football offering ‘Betr Picks’ and the trajectory of his boxing career.
Sports Seriously, USA TODAY
The wait for an announcement of Jake Paul’s next opponent is over.
A fight against Nate Diaz in the Octagon? Nope. A bout with Conor McGregor? Think again. A rematch against Tommy Fury? No chance. Paul is eschewing a marquee matchup for what he’s advertising as a bout against an experienced boxer.
On Dec. 15, Paul (7-1, four KO’s) will fight pro boxer Andre August, a 35-year old boxer who has amassed a record of 10-1-1 with five knockouts mostly in obscurity.
“August has more KO’s than me, more wins than me, more experience than me, but I like to gamble,” Paul wrote on his Twitter account. “The path to world champ starts here. Just straight up boxing.”
The bout, scheduled for eight rounds, will be fought at 200 pounds (cruiserweight).
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Paul, 26, is coming off a unanimous decision over Diaz in their 10-round bout Aug. 5.
Who is Jake’s Paul’s next opponent, Andre August?
August, who is from Beaumont, Texas, made his boxing debut in 2013 and in recent years has been mostly inactive. After a fight in November 2019, he took a hiatus of almost four years and before beating Brandon Martin in August by unanimous decision.
According to the news release, August began his fighting career not in the ring but in the streets and was involved in gang activity. The street brawling eventually led him to the boxing ring, where he won a state championship.
In addition to boxing, August lists himself as a promoter – the owner of Augu$t-Boy promotions.
“I don’t talk very much,” August said, according to the news release. “I’m all about that action! Jake Paul has the money, the fame, the team and the resources but he doesn’t have my hunger. When that bell rings, I am going to go straight to Jake Paul and ring his bell and send him back to YouTube for good.”
Why is Jake Paul fighting Andre August?
He says he wants to win a world championship. Does a fight against someone as little-known as August get him any closer?
“I’m a professional boxer and I want to be world champion,” Paul said, per the news released, “so I need to pursue the path towards greatness against people who have been boxing their whole life.”
Nikisa Bidarian, Paul’s business partner, touted August’s record and boxing experience as reasons for Paul to take the fight.
Of Paul, Bidarian said, “he’s once again doing what very few of the best and biggest boxers in the world have done in their ninth professional fight – fighting someone with a better record and more experience. Pound-for-pound, the great Terrence Crawford fought a 9-14 opponent in his ninth fight, Canelo Alvarez fought a 0-1 opponent, and Gervonta Davis fought an opponent that had 31 losses! But Terence, Canelo and Gervonta didn’t have the world watching. Jake Paul does, and he’s once again putting it all on the line taking on a 10-1 opponent.”
How can you watch the Jake Paul-Andre August fight?
The fight, which will take place at Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida, will be shown on DAZN.
There is no pay-per-view fee. It will be offered as part of a subscription package, according to the news release, which did not provide details on the subscription package.
“So far, my entire boxing career has been on pay-per-view,” Paul said, “but now it’s about more than business. Now I want to build my experience in the ring against seasoned fighters.”