Paul and Chavez Jr will go head-to-head on Saturday night but the pair nearly came to blows at the pre-fight press conference on Thursday evening
Jake Paul’s pre-fight press conference with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr nearly descended into chaos after the YouTuber-turned-boxer threw a shirt as his upcoming opponent. The pair are scheduled to go head-to-head in a cruiserweight showdown on Saturday night.
Paul has not fought since defeating boxing icon Mike Tyson last November. As for Chavez Jr, the 39-year-old has been fairly inactive in the ring over the last few years. The former middleweight champion ended a three year hiatus in his last outing, defeating ex-UFC star Uriah Hall.
With a professional record of 54-6-1-1, Chavez Jr has already fought the likes of Andy Lee, Canelo Alvarez and Daniel Jacobs. With just a few days to go until fight night, tensions threatened to boil over at the pre-fight press conference on Thursday evening.
As both men made their way to the stage, Paul quickly walked over to Chavez Jr and stuck a note in front of the Mexican’s name saying the 39-year-old is going to get ‘knocked out.’
Seconds later, Chavez Jr rushed over to Paul’s side and attempted to gift the American a shirt that referenced the ‘Problem Child’ is going to be his daddy. Quickly being made aware of the t-shirt, the ‘Problem Child’ threw the item of clothing in the direction of his upcoming opponent.
Thankfully, the pair quickly sat down after the encounter, and security was not needed. Speaking ahead of the press conference, boxing icon Oscar De La Hoya was eager to praise Paul, telling DAZN: “Jake Paul is here to win. He’s not messing around.
“The fact people keep counting him out. That don’t believe in him, he’s in the gym. He’s in the lab cooking and getting ready, getting stronger, getting faster. Guess what? It’s sneaking up on us. Jake Paul is finally ready for the big stage. If he beats Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., that’s it.”
It’s not the first time the pair nearly came to blows after Chavez Jr accused the ‘Problem Child’ of cheating. “He said you look like you on some s***,” said Chavez Jr’s translator. Unable to sit and take the rather bold accusation, the social media sensation hit back: “VADA is here today…. what the f***? This is how dumb you are! He is angry. He is an angry little elf. You and your team are a bunch of idiots. You are like ‘oh he is on s***.’ What are you trying to say?”
Refusing to back down from the verbal spat, Chavez Jr replied: “When you fight (Mike) Tyson do not do anti-doping. When I fight in Tampa for the first time in 20 years they do not make me do anti-doping in your fight… so it is something to you. No cheating. I love boxing!”