While it seems like Jake Paul’s latest win against Mike Perry might give him a chance to compete for a major boxing title, coach Teddy Atlas believes this won’t bode well for the sport. Ever since his boxing debut, Paul has been desperate for some validation from the community, and one surefire way to get that is by becoming a champion. However, the 27-year-old might not even get a shot at boxing gold if Atlas has his way.
Following Paul’s win against Perry, WBA head, Gilberto Mendoza Jr. proposed that the Ohio native could take on Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in a title bout. However, Atlas, who is completely against this idea, discussed his thoughts on his podcast, ‘The Fight with Teddy Atlas,’ where he accused the WBA of being corrupt.
In fact, the boxing coach claimed he could not believe the statement Mendoza Jr. made, saying,
“Mendoza, head of the WBA, come on, tell me this ain’t true. He put out a statement where he said that, he would be for a fight for a title with (Jake) Paul and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. it’s things like that damage the integrity of this great sport.”
I am not against a @jakepaul v. @jcchavezjr for a championship…
— Gilberto J Mendoza (@GilberticoWBA) July 21, 2024
At this point, Mendoza Jr. did not provide further clarification on what belt the two men would be fighting for. Regardless, if the fight is made for a WBA belt, it would not sit well with most boxing fans. Moreover, Chavez Jr. is not an opponent, who will have Paul chomping at the bits for a fight.
Jake Paul to forgo title fight for bigger plans?
After his recent win over Mike Perry, Paul had a few things in mind. For starters, he sent a message to Mike Tyson and requested him to be ready for their fight later this year. Then, Paul claimed he wanted to be a world champion in boxing within two years, before ending with a message for Alex Pereira.
Unfortunately, as things currently stand, Chavez Jr. is not a big enough name for Paul to be excited about. The only thing that could tempt the Ohio native to accept such a fight is the promise of a title.
However, since Paul has given himself a two-year timeline to become a champion, it won’t be surprising if he opts to take on a few big money bouts before fighting for the belt.
