Michael Bisping believes Jake Paul should change who he wants to fight next if he wants to be taken seriously.
Jake Paul revealed a six-man hitlist of potential opponents for his next professional boxing match on Teddy Atlas’ podcast THE FIGHT.
Boxing giants Floyd Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya, MMA luminaries Anderson Silva and Michael Bisping, emerging boxing sensation Tommy Fury and rugby player-turned-boxer Sonny Bill Williams were among the names on Paul’s list.
Bisping chastised Paul on his YouTube channel for constantly calling out smaller and older competitors than him who haven’t battled in years. According to the former UFC middleweight champion, Paul outweighed Mayweather and De La Hoya.
Do you not see the lunacy of this?
‘The Count’ also talked about himself and Silva, saying that while they’re approximately the same size as Paul, they’re no longer at their peak athletically. He suggested that Paul face Tommy Fury, a cruiserweight boxer of similar height and age to ‘The Problem Child.’
According to Bisping, Paul is unlikely to battle Williams because the latter is a heavyweight boxer who is considerably bigger and younger than the YouTuber turned fighter. In addition, Bisping expressly chastised Paul for challenging De La Hoya, saying:
“He’s calling out a guy [De La Hoya] that’s been retired for 14 f**king years. Oh, my God! Do you not see the lunacy of this? Jake, please, for the love of God, we’ve spoken once. I’ve got nothing against you.”
“Listen, you wanna fight me; all good, couldn’t care less. But I’m just giving you a bit of advice as a man, as a boxer, as a fighter; more importantly as a man – If you wanna get taken seriously, man, pick on people your own size and not people that have been retired for 14 f**king years. That’s hilarious.”
Is a fight between Jake Paul and Michael Bisping in the cards?
While Michael Bisping has stated that he is not frightened to fight Jake Paul, the truth is that the loss of vision in his right eye due to his injury is a huge obstacle. Most athletic commissions are unlikely to give him medical clearance to compete in a professional combat sports competition.
Bisping implied that most commissions in the United States would not allow him to fight Paul. However, he said that certain regions/countries are more tolerant and may enable them to fight.
Since November 2017, Bisping hasn’t fought in a professional combat sports event. On the other hand, Paul hasn’t fought since December 2021 and plans to return to the ring this August. Regardless, it’s widely assumed that a Paul-Bisping showdown is unlikely.
Also Read: Kamaru Usman promises Conor McGregor a title shot on one condition
