The noted YouTuber-boxer, Jake Paul, overran his rival, Ryan Bourland, comfortably on March 2. ‘The Problem Child’ added another TKO victory to his record as he knocked his rival down in the very first round of the bout with the referee calling a stop to the fight. But with his KO/TKO victory streak mounting up, a large chunk of boxing fans are currently in speculations about his next rival. A few recent incidents also might have provided fans with an idea about the ones who may lock horns with Paul next. So here’s a look at the list of possible rivals for Jake Paul’s next fight.
Neeraj Goyat
The three-time WBC Asia title holder, Neeraj Goyat, challenged Jake Paul to a fight via one of his Instagram posts in 2023. ‘The Problem Child’ responded to ‘Gangster’s’ reel and accepted the fight. Subsequent incidents had the Indian boxer showing up at Jake Paul’s gym in Puerto Rico. But it was their little scuffle that got the boxing community interested in the fight.
A recent ‘X’ update from Paul’s promotional company, ‘Most Valuable Promotions’, revealed that they had signed Goyat. Moreover, Paul has also talked about visiting India to fight Goyat on his home soil. All-in-all, the possibilities of the Indian boxer facing ‘The Problem Child’ in his next outing are pretty prominent.
Ryan Garcia
The noted boxing icon, Ryan Garcia, may have his next fight scheduled for April 20. But one of his recent ‘X’ updates revealed that he had also elected a rival for his next bout in the meantime. Paul’s victory over Bourland probably annoyed the 25-year-old, like many others. He took to his ‘X’ account and expressed that he would put an end to the lackluster showdowns of the 27-year-old.
Well, this one may be considered a bit tough to materialize looking at the regular weight classes of the two. But in an uncertain sport like boxing, you never know what’s coming. Hence, ‘KingRy’ also shouldn’t be counted out of the list of Paul’s possible rivals for his next fight.
Sean Strickland
Most of the combat sports community know about the intense sparring session between the former UFC middleweight champ, Sean Strickland, and the social media star, ‘The Sneako’. Despite being a sparring session, Strickland went all out on The Sneako and didn’t stop even after his corner threw in multiple towels. he ended up leaving Sneako will a bloodied nose.
Paul being a social media personality himself, didn’t take Strickland’s actions too kindly. ‘The Problem Child’ also presented an offer to fight him “on camera”.
With Paul himself calling out ‘Tarzan’, it’s quite apparent that he has every intention of making his words turn into reality. But will the UFC CEO, Dana White, grant a free pass to Strickland even if he wants to fight Jake Paul?
KSI
Well, it has been long since the boxing world has been awaiting the coveted KSI vs Jake Paul showdown. These two even had a face-off after Paul’s first pro-boxing victory over Ali Eson Gib in 2020. But since then, the fight has been getting delayed for some reason or the other. Several sources also predicted the showdown to finally happen in 2023. But it got scrapped once again due to weight issues.
However, all of this nowhere means that the fight can’t materialize in the future. The feud between the two may have cooled down a bit. But it’s nowhere near over. Hence, the British YouTuber with the famous laugh may well become the Ohio native’s next rival.
Canelo Álvarez
The noted multiple-weight world champion boxer, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, has also been on Paul’s radar for quite some time. But it was in October 2023, when Paul made his last call out for Alvarez. However, the Mexican hasn’t showcased any interest in them. But now that the Ohio native is growing his record pretty quickly, he might attract Paul’s attention.
The caption to Paul’s post clarifies how important this fight is to him. Hence, the Mexican also can’t be counted out of the list of possible rivals for Paul’s next in-ring encounter. However, fans have often complained about Paul fighting rivals with much lower caliber. He might choose to fight a similar rival for his next outing as well.
