It’s a question many people are asking: Did Jake Paul just kill boxing?
The simple answer is no – not by a longshot.
While the main event left a sour taste in many people’s mouths, there were many more positives than negatives to take from the blockbuster show.
It was a boxing card that had the most eyes on it in years, one that was being hyped as one of the greatest of all time and one that raked in $18.1 million, shattering the gate record with more than 70,000 fans in the stands.
It’s inarguable that having it live on Netflix gave anyone with the streaming service easy access to the fight, certainly moreso than any recent pay-per-view card.
And with the amount of hype that was built up since the clash was announced back in March, with Tyson and Paul more than making the rounds by posting to social media and being generous with interviews, there were no shortage of talking points and interest generated.
Because of this — call it hoopla or whatever — the entire event was a net benefit for sport.
And it can’t be understated how much the other fighters are going to benefit from being on the card.
The co-main event between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano is a fight of the year candidate and should send a ton of interested fans back to watch their first fight – which was just as incredible.
After a controversial razor-thin unanimous decision going the champ’s way, there were instant calls to make it a trilogy between the combatants – and rightfully so.
Taylor-Serrano III would be able to headline any card, anywhere in the world after getting this sort of exposure. Heck, their first title headlined at Madison Square Garden.
Serrano clearly wants it and Taylor seemed to be up for it, too, even if her manager was clear that nothing has been agreed to … yet.
It would be a bonafide money-maker and something that none of the parties involved could say no to.
You also couldn’t help but get caught up the battle between Mario Barrios and Abel Ramos.
With both fighters slugging their way to a split draw, you have to figure that a rematch is in their future with Barrios’ WBC welterweight title on the line once again.
And Neeraj Goyat should solid skill and showmanship in his dominant win over Whindersson Nunes. The Indian looks to be a potential star in the making with some serious international interest behind him.
Of course, the real big question is what is next for Tyson and Paul.
After the decision came down, Tyson was asked if this was, in fact, the end for him.
“I don’t know, it depends on the situation,” Tyson replied, before saying that he’d like to fight Jake’s brother Logan Paul, who seemingly has left boxing behind after joining WWE.
And with all due respect to the living legend, Tyson would be better served staying out of ring after watching Friday’s slog.
Paul, though, will have no shortage of options and, as one of the biggest draws out – love him or hate him – he holds all of the cards.
Names like Canelo Alvarez, Gervonta Davis and Conor McGregor were bandied around at the post-fight press conference late into the night on Friday.
“Canelo needs me, so I’m not even going to try and call him out,” Paul said after defeating Tyson. “He knows he wants a payday. So, he knows where the money man is at.”
When asked about Davis, Paul said he would be willing to take on ‘Tank.’
“I’d be down. Let’s run it. I’d be super, super down,” Paul said, before joking about the 5-foot-5 fighter’s stature. “Is there a height limit in boxing?”
As for the UFC superstar who will soon be returning to octagon after several years out of action, Paul said the Irishman is scared of him.
“It’s funny to say that Conor McGregor is scared of Jake Paul and will never box him, but it’s the f***ing truth,” Paul said.
“Look at him go toe-to-toe with Nate Diaz, who was easy work for me, just a Monday sparing session to beat Nate Diaz’s ass.”
But the big thing that Paul sees on the horizon for himself is a title shot.
“In the next 24 months, I truly, truly believe in my skills and my ability and my power,” Paul said. “The cruiserweight division is seemingly open for the taking on that timeline.
“I believe I can become a champion within six years of learning how to throw a f***ing jab.
“It’ll be the greatest sports story ever and I know it’ll happen.”
Ahead of the fight, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman told OLBG that he felt Paul was getting close to be a ranked fighter by the organization.
“He’s getting there. I believe he is 10-1 and in his (previous) fight (against Mike Perry in July), he looked dominant, but he needs to increase the level of competition and stay active.
“I believe he is ready to be entered in the rankings of the cruiserweight division. He is a real fighter but there is one more test to take place and it’s a ratings committee that determines the rankings. It is not me or a small group, it is a big group from all over the world and they have a ratings criteria.
“What I see is, Jake Paul is on the way to entering the big leagues in boxing.”
He’ll take some time before making a decision, but even this rough showing won’t stop people from tuning in to see if his next opponent can knock that smirk off his punchable face.
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