Jake Paul has a new nemesis.
In the past few weeks, the Jake Paul challenge train has been full speed ahead. The YouTube star turned boxer has a history of calling out elder MMA statesmen and non-strikers for his freakshow boxing matches. Paul recently defeated a 47-year-old Anderson Silva and celebrated like he just knocked out a prime Mike Tyson. It wasn’t as embarrassing as his celebration of KO’ing toddler level striker Ben Askren, but it was jubilant.
Knowing that the best UFC fighters are under an iron-clad contract, unless your name is McGregor, Jake frequently calls out names on the rosters that are currently gaining notoriety. The bouts can never happen, but he understands that if he annoys Dana White enough – just enough – maybe he can snag a McGregor level PPV pay day. He is currently after the hot new prospect whose career appears to be mirroring the rise of the Irish superstar.
Enter Paddy Pimblett.
It’s not for an official bout mind you. The challenge from Paul is for a sparring match. Here is some of what Paddy said about the challenge in a video from his YouTube channel.
Jake invited me to spar with him in Puerto Rico knowing full well I’m fighting next week. Lad, I will spar him anytime. Anytime…..But the thing is, lad, you’d have to get the million put in like an escrow because I know he’d just bump me. He wouldn’t give me a million dollars after I beat him up.
The kicker is that Paddy has claimed Paul’s previous fights were “fixed”. Jake is having none of Pimblett’s words.
I’m sick and tired of this narrative. It’s stupid and pathetic; you’re disrespecting the own GOAT of your own sport. You’re saying that Anderson Silva is a criminal, that he is a fraud. I have a proposition for you; since you wouldn’t rig a fight, let’s spar. Fly to Puerto Rico – I’ll get you a private jet – and we can do five three-minute rounds of boxing.
There is almost zero percent this sparring will happen. One would imagine that the war of words will continue despite that.