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Jake Paul has his next boxing match lined up according to The Athletic’s Mike Coppinger, and the stunning news about the YouTuber’s UFC star opponent broke a day before it was supposed to be announced. According to Coppinger, Paul will face former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in his next boxing match, and the fight will be distributed live to the masses via Showtime, presumedly via pay-per-view.
Coppinger posted, “Sources: Jake Paul and former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley have agreed to a deal for a boxing match. Jake recently signed a multi-fight deal with Showtime. Friday face-off in Miami planned to promote the event. Paul coming off first-round KO of Ben Askren”.
Neither Paul nor Woodley immediately confirmed the fight.
But Woodley, 39, posted about his plan to knock out Paul, 24, inside a boxing ring as recently as April 25. He posted, “You already scared s*******. I don’t have to slap you. But the Moment i walk away after i knock you out….The World will rejoice! @jakepaul”.
Paul didn’t specifically announce Woodley as his opponent on Instagram, but he did say a deal was done and about to revealed. A couple of hours later, Coppinger announced the news about Woodley being the opponent via social media.
He posted, “Gotcha fight announcement?”
The fight was confirmed by ESPN on Tuesday. The boxing match is currently slated for August 28 at a catchweight of 190 pounds per that same report.
Paul also confirmed the fight via social media on Tuesday. He posted, “Dear, @TWooodley thanks for being the second MMA fighter on my hit list. August 28th the 5x UFC champion is getting knocked out by a Disney actor.”
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‘Gonna Take His F****** Head Off” and Other Reactions
Many in the UFC world used what was left of their Memorial Day weekend to react to the news.
One user predicted Woodley will destroy Paul under boxing rules even though the ex-UFC star used a wrestling-based approach in his championship run. He posted, “Dude Tyron Woodley is gonna take his f****** head off. He has multiple KO in his career”.
Another poster insisted Woodley is a huge step up for Paul even though the 39-year-old is coming off four straight losses in the UFC. He posted, “…But, Woodley is a crazy step up in striking from Ben f****** Askren and retired basketball players.”
MMA Roasted kept it comical. He posted, “Tyron Woodley is boxing Jake Paul. The loser has to listen to the winner’s rap album.”
Another fan posted, “This is the perfect fight for Paul to take. Woodley is a credible opponent and a definite step up from Askren in striking but is also past his best, on a 4 fight losing streak and a much smaller man than Jake. Plus there’s the storyline with him being a friend of Askren’s”.
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‘A Good Chance He Flattens Jake’ and More Posts
Bleacher Report’s Tom Taylor said, “There’s no denying that Woodley has slowed down, but there’s still a good chance he flattens Jake in this one, IMO. Hope he’s making bank either way.”
MMA Junkie’s Nolan King said, “If Jake Paul beats Tyron Woodley, I will be very surprised. Ten steps up from Ben Askren.”
FightHub’s Marcos Villegas isn’t so sure what to think. He posted, “Jake vs Woodley….Hmmmm what yall think”.
It’s a great question. After all, Woodley lost his last four UFC fights and hardly won a round over that same time, but he should still be a huge step up in competition for Paul.
Paul is 3-0 with 3 KOs, but his victories came in succession over a YouTuber (AnEsonGib), a retired NBA player (Nate Robinson), and a former UFC star (Ben Askren) with limited striking skills.
So Woodley should be the toughest test of Paul’s career to date, and it seems most people in the combats sports world are already predicting Woodley to win.
Boxing and MMA Perspectives
The Athletic shared the viewpoints of Coppinger and MMA writer Ben Fowlkes about the Paul vs. Woodley boxing match.
Coppinger posted a boxing writer’s perspective on Paul. He said, “…ask most professional boxers and they’ll tell you: Paul isn’t bad for being a complete novice…with just three pro fights under his belt, he’s proving to be a competent boxer and a bonanza at the box office.”
Fowlkes represented the MMA audience. He said, “…Woodley is definitely more of a striking threat than Askren ever was. The biggest difference between them is one-punch power. Woodley has it ― seven of his 19 wins in MMA came via knockout…”.
No details have yet to be released about the date or venue.
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