Just a few hours remain before Jake Paul and Gervonta Davis’s kickoff presser at the Palladium Theater in New York. A day later, the duo will head to the Kaseya Center in Miami, where the fight is now scheduled for a second media catch-up. Though skepticism prevails, the buzz around the match continues to gain traction. Since the announcement, a few things have become clear. First and foremost – it will be an exhibition. The outcome will not affect Paul and Tank’s official record.
But the fight between the lightweight champion and the YouTuber-turned-boxer, now a cruiserweight contender, still attracts fervent discussions. Many continue to speculate on the potential outcome and how the 5-foot-5½-inch Tank would fare against the six-foot-tall Ohioan. One interesting insight came from Jake Paul‘s former sparring partner, DeAndre Savage. While he doubted the former Disney star’s ability to batter someone like Gervonta Davis, he still observed that fights like these put Paul at the top of boxing, on par with Floyd Mayweather.
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Jake Paul’s strength meets its match in Tank
Given that he had trained alongside Jake Paul, Fight Hype’s Ron Goodall asked Savage, “Can Jake hurt Gervonta, the skilled boxer? I know he’s a lot smaller.” The Flint-born heavyweight, who suffered his first career loss a few days ago, did not mince words. “I don’t think Jake can hurt Gervonta.” His reasons were simple. “Gervonta is too slick. You know what I’m saying? Size is gonna play a big, big matter in this fight. But Tank got too much experience.”
He acknowledged Jake Paul’s improvement over the years. But Gervonta Davis is ‘on a whole other level.’ So the Fight Hype’s managing editor pressed further on whether Davis would outbox and beat Paul. DeAndre Savage speculated, “(Tank) got to stay away from him….You can’t get close to him, especially with those small gloves on.”
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Nonetheless, like many others, he feels the match promises excitement and fun. Ron Goodall then shifted to Jake Paul and his rising prominence in the boxing world. “For a guy that doesn’t have as much experience as you and your brother and everyone, are you actually really impressed? Because I know people look at him as a YouTuber, but for the short period of time, do you take your hat off?”
DeAndre Savage replied with a statement many seem to agree with.
A fighter with brains and business savvy
“He’s a fighter and a YouTuber,” he said before adding, “He’s a smart man, a great businessman, and one of the best marketers in boxing besides Floyd.” To validate Jake Paul’s increasing influence, one only needs to look at the numbers, he insisted.
What the heavyweight fighter said is hard to ignore. Many credit Jake Paul with changing how people view boxing. His match against Mike Tyson last year shattered records. The noise from the fight echoed so loudly that many mainstream promotions decided to test the non-pay-per-view format.
As for fighting, one may question the opponents he has faced. But one cannot deny that he has trained hard for the last five years. On average, it takes about four years to make a full-fledged fighter. Jake Paul has now passed the timeline where his skills can still be questioned.
During an interview with Seconds Out, Darren Till stated, “First of all, Jake Paul hasn’t been a YouTuber for, like, 15 years. So, all this influencer YouTuber sh*t with Jake Paul needs to stop immediately. He’s a professional… He is a legit boxer. He is trained by legit boxers. He trains like a boxer. He lives like a boxer. He breathes like a boxer. So, let’s just forget Jake Paul’s a YouTuber.”
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Perhaps Gervonta Davis added fuel to this narrative. But it’s time people start viewing Jake Paul’s career from a different angle.
What is your opinion about Jake Paul’s career as a fighter?