Whether you love him or hate him, Jake Paul has firmly established himself as one of boxing\u2019s biggest talking points. The YouTuber-turned-fighter has shared the ring with some of combat sports\u2019 most recognizable names \u2014 including Mike Tyson, Anderson Silva, Nate Diaz, and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.<\/p>\n
Granted, all of them were well past their primes, but Paul, now 28, still managed to secure decision victories over each, pocketing millions along the way. He was on the verge of facing his first active world champion, WBA lightweight king Gervonta \u2018Tank\u2019 Davis, in an exhibition bout scheduled for November 14 in Miami.<\/p>\n
Despite the significant size advantage in Paul\u2019s favour, the matchup represented a major leap in class for him. However, the fight was called off after Davis\u2019 ex-girlfriend filed a lawsuit accusing him of multiple serious offenses, including battery, false imprisonment, and kidnapping. Team Paul subsequently canceled the bout, stating that they refused to give a platform to someone facing such charges.<\/p>\n
In his first interview since the cancellation, Paul spoke with ESPN, revealing an eight-man hit list of potential future opponents \u2014 many of whom are world-class fighters.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Terence Crawford<\/p>\n
Paul\u2019s first target was Terence Crawford, widely considered boxing\u2019s current pound-for-pound No. 1 following his dominant victory over Canelo Alvarez in September. Paul called the matchup \u201ca megafight,\u201d adding, \u201cI respect him as a fighter and as one of the best, alongside Usyk.\u201d
\nHowever, the Omaha native \u2014 who competes several weight classes below Paul \u2014 is unlikely to entertain the idea, as he\u2019s focused on cementing his legacy rather than chasing exhibition-style bouts.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Canelo Alvarez<\/p>\n
Next on the list was Canelo Alvarez, despite his recent defeat to Crawford. A Paul\u2013Canelo fight was nearly finalized earlier this year before Saudi Arabia\u2019s Turki Alalshikh signed Alvarez to a major Riyadh Season deal. Still, Paul remains optimistic: \u201cI think Turki can make it happen. He\u2019s shown interest, and Canelo has already agreed once before. All that\u2019s left is to seal the deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Oleksandr Usyk<\/p>\n
Paul also called out undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk \u2014 but not necessarily for a boxing match. Instead, he suggested a potential MMA showdown, saying: \u201cHe\u2019s on my MMA hit list. I think it would be insane to face him in a cage where I can use wrestling, kicks, and jiu-jitsu.\u201d
\nUsyk has said he plans to continue boxing until age 41, meaning such a crossover bout might be years away.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Tommy Fury<\/p>\n
Paul hasn\u2019t forgotten his only professional defeat \u2014 a split-decision loss to Tommy Fury in 2023. \u201cThat fight has nothing to do with business,\u201d Paul said. \u201cNobody really cares about Tommy, but I need to avenge that loss. It has to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
KSI<\/p>\n
A long-rumoured fight with KSI also remains on the table, though Paul admits it\u2019s unlikely. The two YouTube stars have been circling each other for years, but weight disagreements have derailed talks. \u201cWe haven\u2019t heard from his team in a while,\u201d Paul admitted. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t seem realistic anymore.\u201d
\nKSI hasn\u2019t fought in two years and recently stepped down as Misfits Boxing\u2019s CEO, casting further doubt on a potential matchup.<\/p>\n
Anthony Joshua<\/p>\n
Before the Davis fight fell apart, Paul was reportedly close to booking a clash with former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. The fight could still happen in 2026 once Joshua recovers from elbow surgery. Paul called it his \u201cmost dangerous\u201d potential bout: \u201cPeople say fight someone my size \u2014 fine, I\u2019ll fight someone bigger. AJ\u2019s size makes him a tougher challenge than Crawford.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alex Pereira<\/p>\n
Having already faced ex-UFC champions like Silva and Tyron Woodley, Paul now wants to fight current UFC light heavyweight king Alex Pereira. The Brazilian has expressed interest in crossing over to boxing, but Paul said UFC contractual restrictions are the main obstacle: \u201cHis team is down. If he can get out of his UFC deal, it\u2019ll be a massive fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ryan Garcia<\/p>\n
Rounding off the list is Ryan Garcia, the former WBC interim lightweight champion who\u2019s endured a turbulent run marked by a failed drug test and a shock defeat to Rolly Romero. Team Paul reportedly tried to get Garcia to replace Davis on the canceled card, but promoter Oscar De La Hoya blocked the move due to broadcast conflicts.
\nThe two have a rocky history \u2014 once friends, now rivals \u2014 setting the stage for a potential grudge match.<\/p>\n
In terms of skill and accolades, Paul\u2019s eight targets are all leagues above him. Still, given the star power and financial draw that Jake Paul commands, any of these matchups could realistically happen. In combat sports, after all, money tends to outweigh everything else.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Whether you love him or hate him, Jake Paul has firmly established himself as one of boxing\u2019s biggest talking points. The YouTuber-turned-fighter has shared the ring with some of combat sports\u2019 most recognizable names \u2014 including Mike Tyson, Anderson Silva, Nate Diaz, and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Granted, all of them were well past their …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":53936,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/mixcollage-21-jul-2024-10-04-am-2838.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=53938"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53938\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53939,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53938\/revisions\/53939"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/53936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=53938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=53938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=53938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}