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Jake Paul at career crossroads once more after 'Tank' Davis fight collapse
“Dark times lie ahead of us and there will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right".
Albus Dumbledore knew what time it was. And maybe Jake Paul needs to heed the advice of the sadly missed headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry when thinking about the next move in his own boxing career.
‘The Problem Child’ was all set to face Gervonta Davis on November 14, but the fight was canned last week amid fresh domestic abuse allegations against Davis. Even by boxing’s sometimes dubious standards, Paul vs. Tank was always a bizarre match up. The weight difference between the two Americans is approximately 60 pounds, with Paul weighing around 195 pounds and Davis typically fighting at 135.
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I wasn’t particularly looking forward to the fight, but I was slightly intrigued to see if a mediocre big ‘un could beat a really good little ‘un. It’s all by the by now of course, with JP really going in last week after news broke that the fight was off.
“Gervonta Davis is an actual walking human piece of garbage,” Paul wrote on social media last week. “Working with him is an absolute nightmare. The unprofessionalism, the bizarre requests, the showing up hours late to shoots, to the numerous arrests and related accusations and lawsuits. If you support this man, you support the most vile sin a man can commit.“
Strong words from the sport's biggest disruptor. But we must also highlight the fact that MVP knew all about Davis’ rap sheet before the fight was signed and still made it.
The world now waits for the next move of both men. It could be all over for ‘Tank’, a prodigiously gifted fighter who for a time was the non-heavyweight face of US boxing. If it is, he has under-achieved. That may sound harsh for a man who has won belts in three divisions and made millions, but I remember watching him live at the Copper Box Arena in 2017 and as he overwhelmed poor Liam Walsh thinking that he could dominate the sport for the next 10+ years if he kept his head down.
As for Paul, he was quick to tease on socials that his next opponent could be Deji Olatunji! I guess nothing says 'I'm a serious boxer' quite like going back to fight YouTubers you already beat in 2018.
While nothing has been announced officially, this has the potential to be a JFK moment for boxing - where were you when you heard ‘The Problem Child’ swapped three-weight world champ ‘Tank’ Davis for ComedyShortsGamer? Human beings fall into two categories: those who think Deji has any chance of beating Jake Paul, and those who are wrong.
Should we really be surprised though? Almost all of Paul’s fights to this point have been against opponents he has selected carefully on the basis that he has a hefty physical advantage over them, not least in terms of age in the case of Mike Tyson. In the one fight where this was not the case - against Tommy Fury - he lost. To say the American is polarising is a bit like saying it gets a bit nippy in winter.
Does the man have genuine ambitions as a boxer? Or is he happy producing boxing ‘content’ that can be streamed digitally for the purpose of attracting eyeballs and selling advertising or subs?
Am I a hater for suspecting that his fights are more about spectacle and self-promotion than athletic merit? Can I not just appreciate ‘The Problem Child’ for being an uber savvy marketer who built a massive business empire by understanding youth / internet culture? Am I the problem here?I suppose prize fighting has been about that hyperbole ever since ‘Sugar Ray’ Cain took care of business against ‘Too Smooth’ Abel back in the biblical days of Genesis 4:1-16.
Love him or hate him, Paul has reach. He is a multi-millionaire who is bringing money to this sport, and what he has done in terms of raising the financial bar in women’s boxing is commendable. However, if he truly wants the respect of the boxing cognoscenti when it comes to his own career – and wants to dispel the disbelievers – then he should fight a top ten cruiserweight. Trotting out the “Anyone. Anytime. Any place” line is all well and good, but there comes a time when you must back up your words.
If MVP’s decision to cancel the ‘Tank’ fight was driven by its ethical commitment and focus on women’s boxing, then that’s great. But let’s hope that MVP’s moral principles and ethical standards also stand up when it comes to matchmaking in his own fights from this point on.Let us hope he chooses to do what is right, as opposed to what is easy.
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