Jake Paul has plenty of goals to conquer before his entertainment career ends. That includes facing the best in boxing, getting paid to do so, and putting on a show nobody will ever forget.
Paul believes big things are on the horizon for him in boxing. That is if he can pass by Andre August on December 15. The fight is in the Caribe Royale Orlando and airs on DAZN.
With a 7-1 record, Paul faces the second pro boxer of his career in August. He lost against Tommy Fury in February, the first time he fought someone in the ring who wasn’t an MMA or basketball star. He did manage to knock Fury down but lost to the half-brother of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury via split decision. The social media star rebounded with a win against Nate Diaz.
August fought four months ago, his first contest in four years. On a five-fight win streak, the Texas-born fighter looks to cause a massive upset as the +400 underdog (per Bet MGM).
WATCH: Jake Paul vs. Andre August, live on DAZN
If Paul wins, who would be next for the YouTuber? The Sporting News looks into options for Paul following the August fight.
Jake Paul vs. KSI
A matchup years in the making is Jake Paul vs. KSI.
KSI began his amateur boxing career in 2018 by beating fellow YouTuber Joe Weller via TKO. He called out Jake and his brother Logan following the fight and took on the latter in a contest that he won by split decision. In August 2022, KSI challenged Jake Paul to a fight at Wembley Stadium in London. They agreed following a bet, with a match slated for the end of 2023.
Plans changed when Paul lost against Fury in February. KSI didn’t help his cause when he also lost to Tommy in October. Recently, KSI wrote on social media, “Yeah, he ain’t got any hype anymore. I ain’t wasting my time to fight him lol,” when it was rumored Paul’s fight against August wasn’t close to being sold out. KSI also plans to have a live sparring session the night of Paul’s fight.
Paul still believes the fight is on but thinks KSI is trying to avoid him.
MORE: Odds, prop bets, predictions, expert picks for Jake Paul vs. Andre August
“I will fight KSI when he stops ducking me and wants to stop making excuses and come back to the sport. I think it’s pretty clear now who really wants to make the fight happen,” Paul said to DAZN via Essentially Sports.
There is no update on a potential fight between the two.
Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz 2
Before Paul and Diaz fought one another earlier this year, there were talks about the two competing in MMA.
Paul believes Diaz can earn more if they face off inside an MMA cage. And he also happens to have the perfect setting for it in the PFL SmartCage. As an equity shareholder of the PFL, his contract states he can fight in the “Super Fight” PPV division. Paul offered Diaz $ 10 million to compete in the PFL.
PFL founder Donn Davis has plans for Paul to compete in the PFL in late 2024. It is unknown if Diaz would be his opponent, but he is not closing the door on negotiations with Diaz.
“One thing about Nate or fighters or entrepreneurs, they’re their own men,” Davis said on The MMA Hour. “They do what they want to do. Nate will do it when he wants to do it. So I’m just trying to create a canvas that we’re open for business. It’s like the old Motel 6, ‘We’ll Leave The Light On.’ I just want to leave the light on, and I want to say, ‘Here’s $ 15 million. Here’s Jake. We have all the infrastructure at PFL, and we’re easy to work with.’ Dink. The light’s on.”
Jake Paul vs. Canelo Alvarez
While many scoff at Paul facing Canelo, the undisputed super middleweight champion, the former has proven that anything is possible in boxing.
Canelo stands to fight David Benavidez or Jaime Munguia and is interested in a fight against Terence Crawford. Paul believes he has to compete in at least 1-3 fights before facing the Mexican fighter.
MORE: How much have Jake Paul and Andre August made in their careers?
“I think the path that I’m on now tees me up in the future to fight Canelo,” Paul said on The MMA Hour. “It’s even just showing him that I can go 10 or 12 rounds with you, [that] I’ve done that with real, legitimate pro boxers and beat them. So when I beat these guys in the year or two to come and continue to raise the level of opposition, I think me vs. Canelo becomes a really interesting fight and something that a lot of people would be like, ‘Oh, Jake’s going to get destroyed.’
“But there’s that fun thing in your mind, the same thing, with Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury. ‘Yeah, but he’s the bigger guy who has punching power!’ So it becomes this really fun, interesting fight that I think is historical, and Canelo has expressed interest in interviews, so I think we’re closer than we think.”
Paul has a goal to become a champion. The first step is to get past August and get a rating. Once he does that, there may be a (long) path to Canelo.
