Which opponents make sense for Jake Paul in 2022?

 

A boxing bout between Jake Paul and any number of UFC fighters, such as Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, and Jorge Masvidal, would probably be of interest to everyone from Paul to MMA fans. However, that situation is almost unlikely to occur anytime soon given the existing authority UFC president Dana White has over the contracts of UFC fighters. Because of this, Paul might gain some validity from facing a "real" fighter.

It's shrewd of Paul to have recently toyed with the idea of fighting Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., especially if the 35-year-old son of a boxing icon continues his downward spiral of four losses in his previous seven fights and an almost inexcusable lack of professionalism whenever a battle becomes tough. As of now, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is the greatest choice. Chavez is a "genuine boxer" and a former world champion.

Yes, Chavez just suffered a true boxing loss against 46-year-old former MMA champion Anderson Silva. Even while it could be a risky test for Paul, a fight with Chavez would still give him some respect from the critics and, should he prevail, would be the ideal prelude to a lucrative matchup with Silva to end the year.

Many have even argued that Paul merely has to face a 5-0 boxer in order to fulfill the need to "only fight a professional boxer." Those benchmarks will, of course, shift with each bout Paul wins until his unavoidable defeat or retirement. Yes, Chavez lost to Anderson Silva in his most recent bout. This was due to a mix of Silva's awesome performance and Chavez's status as one of boxing's greatest fools of this age. Even yet, Paul entering the ring against a former champion and a fighter with 53 victories over "real boxers"? That would be a plus for Paul that would be difficult for critics to brush off.

- Vladimir Krull

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