Although YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul has quickly established himself as one of the biggest names in the sport, people aren’t ready to accept him as a proper boxer. In the past, the younger Paul brother has been accused of deliberately going up against significantly older fighters just to get an easy win. However, it has now been revealed that Islam Makhachev’s coach, Javier Mendez, was behind such a strategy.
Mendez is the head coach at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California, where he trained top UFC champions, including Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, and Daniel Cormier. Recently, in an interview with LondonReal, Mendez was asked for his thoughts on Paul and his influence in the world of combat sports.
To this, the combat coach claimed that he was approached by Paul and another AKA coach, Jacob Chavez, back when the 27-year-old first broke onto the scene. The duo asked Mendez for his opinion, and he played a crucial role in choosing the first few opponents for Paul.
“They called me and they asked me what do I think of this. I said, ‘I don’t know Jake I don’t know anything about him but the guy you wanna fight, go after Ben Askren’. He knows how to talk but he can not box. He is the perfect guy to build on.”
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Mendez also went on to add that after Askren, he advised ‘The Problem Child’ and his team to reel in Tyron Woodley. However, this was the limit of his involvement in the matchmaking and he had nothing to do with who Paul fought after Woodley. Nevertheless, Mendez played a crucial role in Paul’s success and is impressed with the way the Ohio native carries himself.
Mendez heaps praise on Paul for doing it the right way
In the interview, Mendez stated that Paul does things the right way by talking trash about the fighters themselves and not their countries, religions, or families. The combat coach believes this is the perfect way to get into your opponent’s head instead of relying on personal attacks, which can harm relationships outside the ring.
However, even though Mendez is a big fan of Paul and the way he promotes his fights, there are limits to his support. In fact, the 53-year-old turned his back on Paul after he talked trash against his former trainee, Cormier, but he does not hold any ill will against ‘The Problem Child.’
