No sooner had Jake Paul’s tattooed hand been held aloft in Texas than talk swirled about whose face it might connect with next.
Paul had recorded a landmark win in beating one of the world’s greatest boxers in Mike Tyson – although one 31 years his senior with a knee brace who revealed he ‘almost died’ in June.
It was a surprisingly gentlemanly affair, one booed by the crowd as it petered out, but one where both fighters were sportsmanlike and good-willed. ‘He’s the GOAT,’ Paul declared of Tyson after their eight-round bout.
That hasn’t stopped the bad blood boiling in the aftermath. Not between Paul and Tyson, but Paul and the future. Who next for this PunchTuber?
From Canelo Alvarez, to Francis Ngannou, to KSI, Mail Sport runs through some of the potential options for Paul’s next fight.
Canelo Alvarez Unified super-middleweight champion Alvarez is the man Paul wants. His hopes look vanishingly slim.
‘That’s the move, right? That’s what everyone wants to see I think. I want a bigger challenge,’ Paul told Mail Sport’s Charlotte Daly after his thump fest with Tyson.
Mexican legend Alvarez, who has won 62 of his 66 professional fights, has knocked out Sergey Kovalev, twice beaten Gennady Golovkin, smashed up Billy Joe Saunders, dominated Edgar Berlanga, and smothered the mythical Miguel Cotto. He is more than a ‘bigger challenge’ – he’s out of Paul’s league.
Would he really deign to fight a YouTuber who lost to Tommy Fury last year?
Well, the only thing that might talk is the payday. Tyson reportedly earned around £16million from Saturday’s fight, Paul double that. Seat revenue alone at the AT&T Stadium was £14.1m. For Alvarez, 34, that might be tempting even if it muddies his legacy somewhat.
‘Canelo needs me, so I’m not even going to try and call him out. He’s going to want a payday and I want to show the world all the [stuff] I’ve been talking about beating Canelo is true and I’ll have the biggest upset in the history of boxing,’ declared Paul. Wowza.
Carl Froch Froch will rant at just about anyone these days in his podcast crusade – just ask Anthony Joshua. He pulled no punches when it came to Paul.
‘I will tie one arm behind my back and finish you for good,’ he gloated at the weekend. Mail Sport does not consider the one-armed strategy to be wise.
But who are we to doubt the Cobra? He’s still in enviable shape. The former super-middleweight champion is now 48 but you wouldn’t be able to tell.
He won 33 of his 35 professional bouts and retired from boxing in 2014 after back-to-back victories over fierce rival George Groves.
But the prospect doesn’t seem to appeal much to Paul. ‘F***ing sour loser. Shut the f***up. I’ve done more in four years than you have in your life,’ he retorted.
‘First and last time I respond to your broke salty a**. Let me know if you want to wash my cars.’ Meow.
Francis Ngannou This one feels more realistic on paper, even if Ngannou is down on his luck after two defeats in two pro fights – granted, to Tyson Fury and Joshua.
The former UFC heavyweight champion nobly vowed to get revenge on Tyson’s behalf, writing on X: ‘Next time I see this Jake Paul guy I’m gonna give him 2 or 3 slaps.’
This Jake Paul guy gave short thrift to The Predator. ‘Clout chasing doesn’t suit you, legend. Maybe Jon Jones is the better heavyweight after all.’
Ngannou is now with the PFL, where he boasts a record of 18 wins and three defeats.
He impressed and won lots of fans in the Battle of the Baddest against Fury in October last year. Even floored The Gypsy King before losing via split decision by the tightest margin possible.
But this huge puncher’s mystique in boxing was extinguished in January, when Joshua floored him three times in two rounds. Knockout Chaos it was billed, and so it turned out to be. And with that he has likely lost a lot of commerical potential in boxing.
