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The days of Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson bouts crowding homes are all but over. But there is an up-and-coming superstar in the boxing world who maybe one day can do the same as his predecessors – if he hasn't done similar already.
Jake Paul's boxing career is just three years old, and he's coming off a loss to Tommy Fury, but his latest bout was one of the most popular in recent memory.
Most Valuable Promotions confirmed that the fight had more than 800,000 pay-per-view buys, one of the most purchased fights of the new decade. That number beat Tyson Fury's rematch with Deontay Wilder in 2021, which did around 600,000.
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Boxer Jake Paul is pictured during a weigh-in event, a day before his match against Tommy Fury (not pictured) in Riyadh, on February 25, 2023. (FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)
In fact, MVP promotions says it's the second-most viewed crossover bout since 2020, behind only Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. – a main event in which Paul fought in the undercard against former NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner Nate Robinson.
That's certainly decent company.
Now, Paul isn't willing to give himself the "face of boxing" title just yet, but he says there are "a couple of big players."
"Me, Gervonta [Davis], Canelo [Alvarez] and Tyson Fury for sure. But I don’t know if there’s one standout person there," Paul told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.
But he thinks he can put his name beyond his peers.
Jake Paul exits the ring after his unanimous decision win over Anderson Silva of Brazil in their cruiserweight bout at Desert Diamond Arena on October 29, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
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"I just like to make big pay-per-views and big events," he said, "and if I can continue to do that over the next couple of years, then maybe I can claim that spot for sure."
The YouTube sensation-turned-boxer is sure on the right path to that, given his social media success, which he has turned into a 6-1 record in the ring. Paul is also now a spokesman for CELSIUS, one of the most popular energy drinks on the market today.
Paul says he's been "relaxing and reflecting on life" and his boxing journey since the bout, and while the end result wasn't what Paul was hoping for, his increasing popularity is certainly a moral victory.
"Kind of just, like, hanging out, taking things slow and enjoying all the hard work and enjoying the fact that the event was such a massive, massive success – 820,000 pay-per-view buys … so, that’s just such an amazing accomplishment," Paul said.
Paul isn't in the ring with some of the sport's elite just yet – and the fact that he lost to a professional boxer (his previous fights have been against guys like Robinson and former UFC fighters Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley) put a smile of plenty of Paul haters' faces.
Well, he loves it.
Jake Paul (L) reacts after knocking down Anderson Silva of Brazil during their cruiserweight bout at Gila River Arena on October 29, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
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"Have an opinion, because then you’re playing my game," Paul says to those who have a negative view about his boxing career. "This is what I want. I want to invoke emotion in you, and clearly it’s working as it’s one of the largest pay-per-views in the past two years."