Jake Paul became a bona fide face of boxing in 2025. It’s undeniable, by this point. And there are many reasons for that.
The former Disney actor turned social media sensation ripped up the script when he showed that, you know what, maybe you can play boxing. Initially, critics brushed aside his antics by downplaying his abilities and ambition as someone simply cosplaying as a fighter. To an extent, Paul is yet to shake that criticism.
However, the strides he’s made this year — not in boxing, but having taken part in an event that transcended it — showed that when it comes to the public naming boxers that they’re familiar with, you can be sure Jake’s name will be high up on the list, if he doesn’t actually outright top it.
Paul fought three times in 2024, beating 20-bout veteran Ryan Bourland by first-round knockout in Puerto Rico, before a sixth-round finish of Mike Perry in Tampa, Florida. Then came an Event of the Year contender at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, as Paul, somehow, lured Mike Tyson, 58, back into the ring.
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The fight was mired in controversy from the start, not least because of the 31-year age gap between the combatants and whether there were any pre-fight health and safety protocols to ensure Tyson, who had not fought a legitimate fight in almost 20 years and suffered a stomach ulcer flare-up in the summer, could absorb blows from someone so much younger than he was.
Tyson started the actual fight hard and fast, but slowed considerably as each round progressed. According to Compubox data sent to GIVEMESPORT, Tyson failed to land a single shot in two of the eight rounds. By the end of the fight, Paul had coasted to a decision win that was met with boos from some of the 72,000-strong crowd.
The drab nature of the main event will do no harm to Paul’s stardom, though. After all, the greatest pay-per-view seller boxing has ever seen, Floyd Mayweather, routinely boxed to decisions that attracted criticism from fans and media alike. What really matters, is whether Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nikisa Bidarian, and Paul himself, can harness even 5% of the 108 million worldwide fans who tuned in to Netflix to stream the event live, and lure them back again and again. Considering the trajectory Paul and MVP have enjoyed so far, it’s perhaps likely 5% could be seen as too conservative a figure.
Netflix brass were elated with the numbers, according to a leaked memo that Bloomberg procured in the aftermath. It stands to logic that, if Netflix were to re-enter the live boxing space, then MVP could be one of their promoters of choice. Partnering up with Netflix once again is something MVP have specifically said they are hopeful of, when the company issued a statement to clap back at unfounded accusations that the Tyson vs Paul main event was rigged.
A statement MVP sent to GIVEMESPORT last month, read:
“It is illogical and inane that MVP, in the debut of a hopeful long-term partnership with the world’s biggest streamer—an organization that made its first-ever foray into live professional sports with Paul vs. Tyson — would even so much as consider such a perverse violation of the rules of competition.”
But having commanded a nine-figure viewership, and the probability of a second event with Netflix, is only one aspect of Paul’s rise to become a face of the sport. There’s also the fact that, in the aftermath of that show, there were countless fighters calling Paul out for a fight. The reason for this is clear — those fighters know where the money is. And the money is there because of Paul’s popularity.
There’s been Ryan Garcia, Tony Bellew, Carl Froch, Artur Beterbiev, Andre Ward, and even Daniel Dubois. They all issued public challenges to Paul.
“I’ve been quiet for some time,” a November post on X from Garcia read. “I’ve been cooking on some plans.”
Part of those plans involved an exhibition with Rukiya Anpo in Japan to skirt around a ban from boxing for posting positive test results regarding a banned substance. The exhibition, though, failed to materialize as Rizin, and Garcia, were unable to receive clearance to take part in the exhibition from Garcia’s promoter Golden Boy Promotions.
Regardless, Garcia, in the same post, spoke of his desire to get the exhibition out the way so he can target Jake Paul.
Many of the call-outs were similar, and came from prominent members of the pugilistic community. And, again, they all go to show how significant a player Paul now is in that same community.
As mentioned above, there are three clear reasons why Jake Paul became a face of the sport in 2024 — one that can rival the statue that Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, Anthony Joshua, and Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis all find themselves in.
- Paul’s involvement in the most-watched boxing event of 2024
- His likelihood of teaming up with Netflix for another event in the near future, and
- The number of call-outs he’s received from legitimate world champions in boxing
Whether he’s able to maintain that in the years ahead, just like Canelo, Tank, and AJ have done for a decade, remains to be seen. His gimmick, if he continues to fight former MMA fighters, or past prime boxers, may get stale. Fast. And so, in 2025, the only real way he can emulate what he achieved this year, is to fight for a world title belt in the next 12 months. It’s something he’s said he’s wanted to do for years, and now, more than ever, the time may finally be right.
