Jake Paul’s perfect boxing record is no more.
Riding the celebrity boxing wave to its fullest, Paul wound up taking the profession more seriously than his fellow influencers he started with in mid-2018. “The Problem Child” had a highlight-heavy start to his seven-fight career, knocking out a fellow influencer, a basketball player, and former mixed martial arts (MMA) champions. Unfortunately, his first “actual boxer” handed him loss No. 1 this past Feb. 2023.
Paul, 26, fell short via a split decision against Tommy Fury in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. Even though one judge scored the fight in favor of Paul, the YouTube star wasn’t feeling his best heading into the match, according to boxing veteran and Paul’s new co-trainer, “Sugar” Shane Mosley.
“I think he was sick and under the weather and he went ahead and fought anyway,” Mosley told Sporting Post. “There was also some mental stuff that was going on with him. It would be very difficult for anyone to go in there and fight considering what was going on for him personally.
“These are not excuses, just facts,” he continued. “Jake probably should not have been fighting that night. He wasn’t prepared mentally or physically. It would have been up to him — because I’ve taken fights I should not have taken — but had I been involved I would have suggested postponing the Fury fight by two or three weeks to let him heal a little bit. Give him another fight with Tommy and I’m sure will do very well.”
Paul is sticking with his stab at a professional boxing career despite showing that’s now beatable. On Aug. 5, 2023, in Dallas, Texas, Paul looks to rebound when he welcomes Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) veteran, Nate Diaz, to the ring.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
