Jake Paul has told Bloody Elbow that he will no longer compete at heavyweight after defeating Mike Tyson last night.
The YouTuber-turned-boxing sensation managed to win a lopsided unanimous decision on Friday night against ‘Iron Mike’, opting not to push for a stoppage. But he did it at an unnaturally high weight, which was almost 45lb heavier than his career-lowest just 21 months prior.
Now, he plans to move back down to cruiserweight in pursuit of world titles, which he claims could come as soon as two years from now. It remains to be seen when he will return to the ring after he suffered a brutal injury during the final weeks of camp.
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Jake Paul weighed in 45lb heavier for Mike Tyson than Tommy Fury
Ahead of his showdown with Mike Tyson, Jake Paul tipped the scales at a career-high 227lb. Just 21 months before, he was slightly above 183lb for his bout with Tommy Fury in Saudi Arabia, and had even entertained the notion of going down further to face Canelo Alvarez.
But he has since been moving up, and needed the towel to make the cruiserweight limit of 200lb against Mike Perry this summer. He made it to 185lb for his showdown with Nate Diaz last year, but then for his warm-up bouts with Andre August and Ryan Bourland decided to come in much heavier.
Many fans and experts feel that his optimal weight is closer to the 185lb mark, with his stature a tough one to balance between the cruiserweight and light-heavyweight divisions. But he seems to reckon the higher end is better as he pursues world title gold going forward.
Jake Paul will move back down in weight after Mike Tyson bout
Paul didn’t get the chance to show off his punching power up at heavyweight last night as he moved around with Tyson and admitted to ‘carrying’ him in the later rounds. But fans saw glimpses during his training camp as he dropped a teammate who is ranked in the WBA top 15.
Speaking with Bloody Elbow briefly after the post-fight press conference in Dallas last night, Paul was asked if he would be sticking around at heavyweight. While boarding a buggy that would take him back to his dressing room, he replied quickly “no way”.
He flattered to deceive last night, but insists that he was stuck in a tough spot, telling the media at his press conference: “People just love to hate me. I’m easy to hate and I intentionally say things to make people hate me. I play the heel, I feed into that.
“That’s just what I like to do and that’s what entertainment is. And at the end of the day, I started as a 17-year-old in Los Angeles in the entertainment business. But I’ve been in this sport for four and a half years and have been so active doing every event, taking any fight possible.
“So if people want to see more or this challenge or fight this person, whatever it is, my response to them is just give him a couple more months. I’m going to accomplish more things in just a matter of months and I plan on doing everything in this sport that there is to be done.”
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