Jake Paul’s meteoric rise in boxing continues tonight when he faces off against former UFC champion Tyron Woodley.
The YouTube star has created real buzz between the ropes, while committing to the hard graft required to make strides with the sweet science, proving his threat with a devastating knockout of former UFC fight Ben Askren.
Paul has almost reached this elevated status by accident, treating the sport more seriously than he ever anticipated, after initially pursuing pay-per-view bouts as a cash grab before discovering his ability was greater than expected.
“When I started boxing, I didn’t think I’d be here this fast,” Paul said. “My original goal was to fight Conor McGregor or Floyd Mayweather, because I knew I would have a big enough pay-per-view draw to do those things. Now I want to become world champion. I want to fight and beat Canelo Alvarez. This has been a fast, quick roller coaster ride, but I didn’t expect to be here. I just knew I loved fighting and I knew I was good at it.”
The fight could also be a precursor to a clash with Tommy Fury, who features on the undercard and is primed to be Paul’s next opponent.
“Jake Paul doesn’t come into my mind once,” Fury said ahead of his fight with Anthony Taylor. “I’ve not thought about him. I don’t think about him. The only man I’ve thought about and have been thinking about for this whole training camp is Anthony Taylor.
“Sunday night, I’ll get the job done and whatever else lies ahead, we can think about then. “Until then, this man is getting knocked out cold.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the fight:
When and where is the fight?
The fight is set for Sunday, 29 August, and is scheduled to last eight rounds at is set at cruiserweight (with a weight limit imposed at 190 lbs).
The card is slated to start at 8pm ET (1am on Monday, 30 August in the UK).
Rocket Mortgage Field House will host the fight in Cleveland, Ohio.
What time are the ring walks?
You can expect the ring walks to take place well after 11pm local time (4am BST), with the fight starting as late as 11:30pm local time (5am BST), depending on the results on the undercard.
How can I watch the fight and is there a live stream?
The fight will be on BT Sport Box Office in the UK the Ireland – costing £16.95 in the UK and €29.99 in Ireland.
The PPV main card will start at 12.30am on BT Sport Box Office. The fight can be accessed by BT TV, Virgin TV and Sky or online via the web or the BT Sport Box Office App, which will enable fans to stream the fight online too.
Showtime Sports will broadcast the fight in the United States, with a streaming platform available. It’ll cost $59.99 in the United States.
PPV channel Main Event has the rights in Australia, with fans able to purchase through Foxtel and Kayo at $29.95.
The fighters will pull on 10-ounce gloves with the ring specified at 20×20.
As well as dispatching Askren, Paul defeated YouTuber AnEson Gib and basketball player Nate Robinson.
The undercard has some British intrigue too, with Tommy Fury and British heavyweight contender Daniel Dubois slated to make their US debuts.
Fury has also been tipped as a future opponent of Paul, with the pair trading verbals on social media in recent years.
While UFC boss Dana White has dismissed Paul as a viable partner for fights in the future, labelling him “f***ing annoying”.
“I just don’t see it happening,” White told the Full Send Podcast. “I don’t hate the kid. Is he f***ing annoying? Yeah, he’s annoying. He’s out there trying to make that money, and his shelf life is very f***ing short.
“Listen, I never say never, but I highly doubt it (working with Paul). It’s just not what I do. There’s a market for that. He could fight a different type of celebrity every week, and there’s going to be a segment of the population that wants to pay for that and see it, but that’s not what I do. I put the best against the best.”
Full card
Main event: Jake Paul v Tyron Woodley
Amanda Serrano v Yamileth Mercado – for WBC, WBO and IBO World Featherweight titles
Daniel Dubois vs. Juiseppe Cusumano
Ivan Barancyhk vs. Montana Love
Tommy Fury vs. Anthony Taylor
Charles Conwell v Lucas Brian Ariel Bastida