Jake Paul has had a unique start to his professional boxing career.
“The Problem Child” had his first and only amateur boxing bout in Aug. 2018, helping kick off the eventual influx of influencer boxing that is now prevalent in 2023. For Paul, he started his professional run by taking out a fellow YouTube star and then a former National Basketball Association (NBA) player before turning to notable names from mixed martial arts (MMA).
The 26-year-old Paul has defeated all former MMA fighters he’s been matched with, amassing a record of 6-1. He’ll face another in the debuting former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) star, Nate Diaz, in Dallas, Texas, next weekend (Sat., Aug. 5, 2023). Along the way, however, former UFC Middleweight champion, Michael Bisping, recalls the time Paul almost brought him out of his combat sports retirement.
“The sooner we shut up and stop talking about the little coward, Jake Paul, the better it is,” Bisping told Betway. “Jake Paul sent a contract to my management asking me to box him a while ago. I said, ‘Yeah, sure’ if you up the offer a little bit. And then guess what, we never heard back from him because he’s a little p—sy and he’s picking off smaller guys and non-boxers.
“The one time he fought a boxer, Tommy Fury, he lost,” he continued. “Is he going after the rematch? No. He fights Nate Diaz who is almost 40 and is not a boxer. He can box a little bit but is a smaller guy that used to fight at 155 pounds. Conor [McGregor] is also probably too small, Conor’s probably better than him, but there’s weight classes for a reason. If Jake Paul could go out there and fight a 115-pound female, if he could get that sanctioned he would, especially one that’s never boxed. Jake would fight a 115-pound female receptionist in a hotel. If he could make that his next match up he would. Obviously, I’m joking but that’s the kind of favorable matchups he’s been looking for.”
Paul last fought in Feb. 2023, suffering his first career defeat via a split decision against Fury (watch highlights). The bout was his first against a “real boxer” and a rematch was something that originally interested Paul before shifting gears back to Diaz, who he’d been calling out ahead of previous matches.
Despite his age being accompanied by physical wear and tear, the 44-year-old Bisping was still considered a stiff challenge for Paul at the time of the rumored potential pairing. Ultimately, “The Count” just doesn’t agree with the current generation that’s entered the boxing world.
“I don’t know why Jake Paul and Logan Paul constantly look for challenges which favor them, fighting is about testing yourself in fights you don’t know that you can win, and embodying the fighter’s spirit,” Bisping said. “Look at Logan Paul, he’s almost my size and he’s calling out Paddy Pimblett. They make out they’re so tough. But I wouldn’t begrudge Paddy going out there and making a ton of money fighting Logan Paul. You get these opportunities you take them. We are prizefighters, just like [Francis] Ngannou and [Tyson] Fury.”
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
