Jake Paul might face Deontay Wilder in his next fight. Respected boxing analyst Teddy Atlas made this suggestion recently, following Paul's victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer has been making waves in the sport. Paul scored a win against former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and followed it up with a unanimous decision victory over Mike Tyson. The latter fight drew criticism due to Tyson's age (58) and long absence from professional boxing.
Paul's career goal is to become a world champion. He's shown a knack for spotting opportunities and has made significant money from his boxing career so far. His previous plans to challenge for a cruiserweight world title in his next contest were recently dashed.
On the other hand, Deontay "The Bronze Bomber" Wilder has lost four of his last five fights. His most recent bout was a stoppage win against an unheralded opponent, Tyrrell Herndon. Wilder is currently searching for his next opponent.
Atlas shared his thoughts on the potential matchup in an interview with BetVictor:
"Jake Paul has seen Deontay Wilder get knocked out in his last couple of fights. I know Wilder came back with a win, but the fights before that were the consequential fights, we saw him tarnished."
Atlas believes Paul sees an opportunity in Wilder's recent losses:
"Jake Paul sees an opportunity. He's good at seeing opportunities. He's made zillions of dollars seeing opportunities. I'm not gonna deny that he doesn't see this [as an opportunity]. I'm not gonna knock him. I'll take you at face value. You're seeing another opportunity. God bless you. Let's see what you do with it."
Despite Wilder's recent setbacks, Atlas thinks the former champion still poses a real threat:
"Now, if you ask my opinion, if it actually came to fruition, I think that Wilder, even at this age, this is a guy who Paul is not gonna have a size advantage over, and he's not gonna be that old, and he's still got that great right hand that has unbelievable power in it, I'd be interested in seeing that because that would be to me a real risk."
Atlas acknowledges Wilder isn't the fighter he once was:
"Wilder is obviously not the fighter he was. I know that he obviously has been dissipated. You know, he's been eroded in in many areas, but he could still punch just like George Foreman could still punch when he was 45 years old"
The analyst concludes by expressing his interest in the potential matchup:
"If Jake Paul puts himself in the ring with him, I'll watch it to see if Jake Paul can stand up to that right hand."
A fight against Wilder could be a big commercial opportunity for Paul. It would also present a real challenge, as Paul wouldn't have a size advantage, and Wilder, despite his recent losses, still possesses dangerous punching power.
