Jake Paul’s career in boxing has been a mixed bag. Yes, he has become one of the biggest draws in the sport, with his last fight against Mike Tyson shattering many records. But on the other side of the spectrum, people, especially in the combat sports world, have expressed their displeasure with Paul, particularly in the case of the opponents that he tends to choose, including Gervonta Davis.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer has leveled up in terms of the status of his opponents. After fighting YouTubers and retired or inactive MMA boxers, Jake Paul got his first taste of a real boxer when he fought Tommy Fury. Now, that’s when he faced his only defeat. But a few fights later, he jumped straight to Mike Tyson, the most high-profile boxer on Paul’s resume, but he was a bit too old. In the case of Gervonta Davis, he’s in his prime, but he’s heavily undersized, and MMA insiders Josh Thomson and John McCarthy are not having it.
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MMA veterans are ticked off about the Jake Paul vs Gervonta Davis fight
During a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast, Josh Thomson was pretty vocal about his disdain towards Jake Paul‘s opponent choice. Echoing the same sentiment, co-host John McCarthy said on YouTube, “To me, it’s just ridiculous.” As Thomson was finding it hard to comprehend how the commission allowed this announcement to be made, the veteran referee reiterated the fact that this is an exhibition bout.
“[In an] exhibition, they can basically say, ‘Okay. You want to do it? It’s not a real fight. We’re not gonna sanction it’… There’s no winner. There’s no loser. It’s a train wreck,” McCarthy added. He warned Gervonta Davis that no matter how good a boxer he is, Jake Paul is bigger and has boxing experience under his belt. The former Disney star is not a rookie anymore. Also, McCarthy claims ‘Tank’ is at a spot of disadvantage not only because of the size discrepancy but also because if he attempts to get bigger to cope with Paul’s size, it could come at a cost.
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“And why I say it’s a train wreck? It’s not that Gervonta Davis is not a phenomenal fighter, but to sit there and to think that he’s going to be able to do well with Jake Paul [is ludicrous],” John McCarthy further stated. “If Jake Paul had never fought, maybe Gervonta Davis would win. But now, at this point, he’s just not big enough. And when I say not big enough, look, he’s gonna have to take serious shots to try to lay shots on Jake Paul. And I don’t give a damn what he comes in weighing. He can’t weigh too much because then he won’t have any gas.”
The fight is set to take place at the Kaseya Center in Miami, but before we even get to the fight, the Florida Athletic Commission has apparently laid down the rules for the fight. And guess what? It may not be music to Jake Paul’s ears. Let’s take a look at that front.
The Florida Athletic Commission’s direction for the fight has been revealed
USA Today recently revealed that the executive director of the Florida Athletic Commission, Timothy Shipman, shared a statement on the Jake Paul and Gervonta Davis fight. It appears that the fight will strictly have to be a non-professional fight, and the director was pretty adamant about it. With reports claiming that the gloves will be much larger for this bout, the Athletic Commission’s chief revealed that there will be more rules imposed on this exhibition fight.
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“You can’t do a fight like that as a pro fight, it’ll be an exhibition. I’m looking at the details right now. I’m sure there will be other stipulations,” Timothy Shipman stated. Other reports also claim that although Paul and Davis would be allowed to showcase their skill, the commission has said no to any form of “full-contact maneuvers.” It remains to be seen what more rules will be announced by the time we get to the boxing match in November.
While most combat sports enthusiasts are against the Jake Paul and Gervonta Davis fight, both men have agreed to do it, and as far as it looks now, it is going to happen. ‘El Gallo’ has proven that he can generate a lot of money after his last fight, so now, the onus will be on him to prove it once again. What do you think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.