Paul is set to make his return to the ring next month against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, but is still hoping to one day go head-to-head with ‘Tank’
YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul has claimed that he was on the brink of securing a bout with Gervonta Davis at 195lbs before negotiations fell through.
The two camps were ever so close to confirming a dust-up and were deep into negotiations in March over a potential showdown. Although they nearly reached an agreement, Davis first had to topple Lamont Roach. Fans widely expected ‘Tank’ to have an easy victory, but the fight ended unexpectedly in a draw.
The clash was not without its share of controversy, as some boxing fans felt Roach did enough to get his hand raised, especially after a knockdown claim in the ninth round was controversially dismissed. The lightweight contenders are now anticipated to go head-to-head once more on August 16.
As for the ‘Problem Child’, Paul is set to face ex-WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr on June 28. Assuming both fighters emerge from their upcoming fights unharmed, the social media sensation is keen to revisit talks with ‘Tank.’ Speaking on the Ariel Helwani Show, Paul remarked: “That was on the one yard as well, but he has to rematch Lamont Roach.
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“He wants to get that back. Then we will be back in discussions with Mr. Gervonta. But this is the nature of boxing, you have massive fights on the one-yard line and then they fall through.” There is a huge weight gap between the pair – with Paul revealing it would be sanctioned as an exhibition bout.
The 28-year-old, primarily a cruiserweight fighter (200lbs), has offered to slim down to 195lbs for potential clash, while Davis is naturally a super lightweight (140lbs), and will have to bulk up as much as possible. Paul went on to claim the fight would be contested over 10 three-minute rounds with no restrictions on the rules.
“I never really thought tank was that good, it just took the right fighter to pick him apart to be honest,” Paul added. “Someone who had high activity and wasn’t afraid of his power. So, I always saw so many holes in his game, to me it wasn’t that surprising that someone finally gave him some good work.”
In the same interview, the young American didn’t hesitate to criticise Canelo Alvarez, after a potential match-up fell through when Alvarez chose to sign with Riyadh Season instead of facing the 28-year-old. Paul has confidently claimed that he would have triumphed over the Mexican boxer if they had clashed in May, stating: “I would’ve beaten Canelo for sure.
“Even just watching him against Scull, he’s just washed up, inactive, doesn’t throw a lot of punches, not very strong. And what’s crazy is one of my main sparring partners from the last two years was the one who lost to William Scull. He was the one that should’ve been fighting Canelo. His name’s Shishkin, Vladimir Shishkin. He beat Scull way worse than Canelo did. This is the guy I’m sparring with every day for two-and-a-half years, going toe to toe with.”