Jake Paul disputes Forbes’ recent report about his boxing earnings in 2021.
YouTuber turned professional boxer Jake Paul made big money as a prizefighter in 2021, at least according to Forbes. “The Problem Child” reportedly earned a combined $40 million before taxes for his three fights in the past year.
But according to the 24-year-old Paul, Forbes’ numbers are “slightly low.” Without giving specific figures, he released this statement through an Instagram story.
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“So my dad called me today and asked if the numbers that were reported today were inflated. “I knew you were close to that but did you really make that?”
“The answer was ‘yes dad and in fact the numbers are slightly low.’ Mind you I don’t lie to my dad and he knows everything about my life. Even my brother thought the numbers were lower (according to my dads convo with him),” he wrote.
“A lot of times Forbes inflates the number made. In 2018 when I made the list I made $17m and they reported $22m I believe. On this day they are actually behind and the numbers are actually low.”
Paul, who also came in at the number two spot of Forbes’ highest-paid YouTubers of 2021, implied that his dedication and obsession with his craft helped him achieve such financial success.
“Most celebs would say “thank the lord I’m so blessed” but I say any regular motherf—r could do this shit if u a sicko and ready to die for ur cause.”
Paul’s first boxing appearance in 2021 happened against Ben Askren, whom he knocked out inside two minutes. That Triller card, Paul says, raked in 1.5 million PPV buys and generated $75 million in revenue.
His next two fights in August and December both happened against former UFC champion Tyron Woodley, whom he defeated via split decision and sixth-round KO, respectively. Showtime didn’t release the official numbers, but the second fight reportedly made a mere 65K PPV buys, which Paul called bullshit on.
As Paul alluded to, Forbes does report significantly inflated numbers for some sports stars, including the supposed earnings of Conor McGregor through the years.