YouTube boxing sensation Jake Paul has proven that no fight is completely out of reach for him. Last year, his promotional company, Most Valuable Promotions, put together the Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight in Texas, breaking viewership and gate records. Now, it appears ‘The Problem Child’ is eyeing a clash against former two-division undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Not to mention, the Cleveland native came close to announcing a fight against WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis, but Davis failed to defeat Lamont Roach Jr. in March, derailing the plans. Although Paul could not convince Canelo Alvarez to fight him, per statements from Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of MVP, ‘The Cat’ seems interested in the fight.
Jake Paul vs. Oleksandr Usyk: A real possibility
Paul is currently slated to appear in the ring against former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on Saturday, June 28, 2025, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, for a 10-round fight. However, ahead of Paul’s first fight in 2025, his business partner appeared in an interview with Sky Sports, where he claimed Usyk is interested in fighting Paul in an MMA bout.
“We’ve had a couple of conversations, all very positive, and it just depends on how the timing lines up. I think the opportunity is there,” Bidarian told Sky Sports. “Jake is crazy enough to do it for sure. Usyk’s side seems very interested in it. So it’s just about lining up the timing, and I think eventually it’s something that will happen.”
Bidarian recounted visiting Poland to support the first fight between Usyk and Daniel Dubois, where MVP started building a relationship with the undefeated Ukrainian future boxing hall of famer. “I think it was three or four months ago when Usyk came out and said, ‘I’d like to do one more fight, and I’d like to fight Jake Paul in MMA,’” Bidarian added.
“Jake is crazy enough to do it. It’s funny, he told me the other night: ‘Oh, that’s an easy fight.’ I said he’s got a wrestling background. He’s like: ‘Oh [no], I didn’t know that!’” It’s worth noting that Canelo Alvarez had also agreed to fight Paul, but later ditched him to sign a four-fight deal with Riyadh Season, which will see him face off against Terence Crawford.
Regardless, after Boxing Social shared Bidarian’s statement on Instagram, the possibility of Paul and Usyk fighting wasn’t received well by fans.
‘The Problem Child’ gets ripped to shreds by fans
There’s no denying that while Paul has achieved notable success in boxing, he’s also attracted just as much criticism, largely due to his choice of opponents. It came as no surprise when his potential matchup with Usyk was met with backlash online.
One user highlighted Paul’s loss to Tommy Fury, questioning what makes him deserving of the Usyk fight. “Even if this is true, why doJakees Jake Paul deserve the chance to fight Usyk when the only actual boxer he’s faced was Tommy Fury, and he lost that fight…,” the user wrote. However, this fight is less about who is better and more about the money involved.
Meanwhile, this user completely dismissed the statements from Bidarian, suggesting there’s an ulterior motive behind it. “Omg he’s not going to fight Usyk, this is just more garbage from Jake to try and promote this terrible JCC Jr. fight, guessing there is no interest, shocker,” the user wrote. There is some merit to the user’s perspective since Paul had to settle for Chavez Jr. after the Canelo and Davis fight fell apart.
Credits- IMAGO
Another user had an interesting theory about whether the fight would happen. “‘Usyk’s side seems interested’. It’s obvious, he’ll lead Jake on like Canelo did ,” the user commented. However, there’s a good possibility that Canelo will end up fighting Paul in an exhibition after he retires from the sport in a few more years.
Unlike most fans, this user seemed supportive of the fight, but for reasons one might not expect. “Please do it, so we can see Usyk flatten him,” the user wrote. Jake Paul is a minor equity owner in the PFL, so making the MMA fight shouldn’t be that much of a hassle.
Someone else commented on how money is dictating today’s boxing matches. “Money talks bullshit walks ,” the user wrote. However, it’s also the huge inflow of money in boxing, which has made some of the big fights like Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk happen.
Having said that, it appears Jake Paul and Oleksandr Usyk may end up fighting in an MMA bout. However, when this may happen is still up for debate. For now, Usyk will face Daniel Dubois in their rematch. What are your thoughts on Paul vs. Usyk?
The post “He’ll Lead Jake On Like Canelo Did”: Jake Paul vs. Oleksandr Usyk Talks Lambasted by Boxing World appeared first on EssentiallySports.
