LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 14: Jake Paul during a boxing news conference at the Avalon Hollywood … More
Getty Images
The 13th professional fight of Jake Paul’s boxing career is Saturday night in Anaheim, California. Paul will headline a DAZN card on Saturday night when he takes on former middleweight champion and second-generation fighter Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Here are the details on the event, including the fight card.
Paul vs. Chávez Jr. Full Fight Card and Viewing Info
- Date: Saturday, June 28
- Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
- Stream: DAZN
Paul – Chavez Jr. Fight Card
- Jake Paul vs. Julio César Chávez Jr.
- Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez vs. Yuniel Dorticos – Cruiserweight, for the WBA and WBO titles
- Holly Holm vs. Yolanda Vega
- Floyd Schofield vs. Tevin Farmer
- Avious Griffin vs. Julian Rodriguez
- Raul “Cugar” Curiel vs. Victor Ezequiel Rodriguez
- Naomy Valle vs. Ashley Felix
The motivation for this Paul fight doesn’t appear to be at the same level as some of his previous bouts. We can’t compare it to the Mike Tyson fight, as that was a once-in-a-lifetime novelty event.
But compared to Paul’s clash with Mike Perry and Nate Diaz, this scrap with Chavez Jr. doesn’t seem to be moving the needle as much.
Blame that on fans’ lack of belief in, or knowledge of, Chavez. Even at 39, a fighter who has accomplished as much as Chavez Jr. has in his career should represent Paul’s stiffest competition since he lost a split.
Still, Paul is a massive minus-575 favorite, while Chavez Jr. is a plus-400 underdog. That’s pretty amazing considering the difference in experience and the fact that Chavez is only 39 years old.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 14: Jake Paul, left, and Nakisa Bidarian, CEO and Co-Founder of Most … More
Getty Images
In any case, if Paul wins as expected, it would not surprise me to see him get an opportunity to challenge for a cruiserweight title. There’s a potential problem there for “The Problem Child.”
Jai Opetaia and Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (who fights on the Paul-Chavez Jr. card) have all but one of the recognized world titles at cruiserweight. Opetaia and Ramirez are serious champions who would represent such a massive step up in competition for Paul that it might be dangerous for him to bark up those trees.
That’s especially the case with Opetaia, who is a nasty KO finisher fighting in his prime.
A more interesting fight for Paul—if he were to get a title shot after the Chavez fight—would be against WBC champion Badou Jack. WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman has already said he believes Paul should be ranked if he beats Chavez.
That comment makes a title fight later this year more realistic.
Jack is a seasoned pro. He’s gritty and tough as they come. However, Jack is 41 years old, and he has been in a ton of wars. That said, he hasn’t lost a fight since he dropped a split decision to Jean Pascal in December 2019.
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – MAY 03: Badou Jack reacts after beating Norair Mikaeljan to win the WBC World … More
Getty Images
Jack is far from a household name, but he would be the most respected opponent Paul has faced. And that fight would represent a natural progression for the Problem Child at this stage of his boxing journey.
First things first, he’s got to take care of Chavez Jr. Most don’t believe the latter will take the fight—or his training leading up to it—seriously enough to make a solid showing. Perhaps we’ll all be surprised, and the two men will put on a memorable show. It would be great to see Paul in a competitive fight.
We haven’t seen that since the split decision loss to Tommy Fury in February 2023. Be on the lookout for my live results, beginning with the Farmer-Schofield clash.
