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How dangerous of a threat is Julio Cesar Chavez Jr to Jake Paul?
With 62 fights to his name, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr is the most experienced professional boxer to ever step into the ring with Jake Paul.
Chavez Jr will clash with Paul at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, and exclusively live on DAZN Pay-Per-View, tonight.
So how much of a threat does the 39-year-old son of a boxing legend pose to the 28-year-old Paul?
While the only way to truly find out is to tune in tonight, for a fighter who has been criticized at points in his career for a lack of desire, Chavez Jr (54-6-1 with 1 no contest, 34 knockouts) is saying the right things to let fight fans know that he is taking this bout seriously.
During DAZN’s recent Face Off with Chris Mannix, Chavez Jr told Paul “I’ve prepared myself better than ever” and “I’m prepared 100 percent, physically and mentally.”
The veteran boxer, who has fought the likes of Canelo Alvarez, Daniel Jacobs, Brian Vera, Sergio Martinez, Andy Lee and Marco Antonio Rubio, does not see any kind of situation that will have him watching Paul’s hand be raised in victory following 10 rounds of action.
So much so that Chavez Jr does not even foresee Paul being able to land his vaunted overhand right.
“I don’t think he could catch me with the right hand,” Chavez Jr. said bluntly.
The battle-tested fighter realizes that Paul (11-1, 7 KOs) could land on the WBA and WBC cruiserweight rankings with a convincing win and subsequently chase a world title shot — and he wants to derail those plans, showing ‘The Problem Child’ that there are indeed levels to sweet science mastery.
That said, upsetting Paul’s plans is still a lofty ambition.
At 39, Chavez Jr has been far less active than Paul, who is 11 years his junior.
Paul’s last fight was a unanimous decision win over Mike Tyson in November.
Chavez Jr last defeated former MMA fighter Uriah Hall via a six-round unanimous decision in July. Prior to that, his last fight was all in the way in December 2021.
So eroding the ring rust he is likely to be faced with is a challenge in itself.
But it is a challenge that he insists he is up for, vowing on Face Off that if he loses to Paul, the YouTuber turned boxer, that Chavez Jr. will be done with boxing and shamed into going into hiding for two years.
To that, Paul retorted, “well, start planning it out, buddy.”
Paul does not believe that Chavez Jr. and his team know what they are heading into and he vows that the Mexican boxer will be “exposed” and be made to “realize he’s easy work.”
Either Paul will show and prove just that with an emphatic win … or Chavez Jr. will make him pay with a boxing lesson, especially if he’s driven to teach one.
But in a buildup that has been intense at times, playful in others, Chavez Jr. promises to let his hands do more of the talking for him.
“Jake, for the talk you’re better than me,” Chavez Jr. said, “that’s for sure.
“In boxing, find out Saturday.”
We all will.
Jake Paul vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr will be streamed exclusively on DAZN PPV this Saturday, June 28. Buy the PPV now here
