Mike Tyson is aware that Jake Paul is still awaiting an opponent for his next pro boxing match, but he recently played matchmaker and said that UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman should be the next man to face Paul in the ring.
In a recent episode of his Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson podcast, Tyson spoke with former UFC double champion Henry Cejudo and said that Paul vs. Usman would be the definition of ‘box office’.
“I want to see that sh*t,” Tyson said. “It’s twice or three times as much money in the UFC. So, how could he turn it down?”
Usman and Paul have gone back and forth on social media and through the press, and “The Nigerian Nightmare” said that while he would welcome a fight with the YouTube star, it would need to be for the right price.
New release of Hotboxin with my brother @aliabdelaziz000 who never pulls his punches back!
How would @jakepaul do against the Nigerian nightmare @USMAN84kg ? @hotboxinpodcast
pic.twitter.com/Qievj6llYZ
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) May 22, 2021
In a recent sit-down with ESPN’s Ahora o Nunca, Usman said he welcomes a boxing match with Paul but it would need to be under his own terms financially.
“I don’t necessarily care for the fight. I don’t care for it. I don’t really entertain it, honestly,” Usman said. “But there’s a lot of work that I’ve put into my sport to get to the position that I’m in. And then when you see these guys come in and just, ‘Oh, I wanna challenge him. I want to challenge that guy, that guy, it’s almost disrespectful.”
“I think the check would have to have eight zeroes in it. If there’s eight zeroes in front of the check, then for sure, we’ll consider it.”
Usman most recently defended his UFC welterweight title in a rematch with Jorge Masvidal at UFC 261. Paul is coming off his first-round knockout against former UFC standout Ben Askren just a little over a month ago.
What do you think about a potential boxing match between Jake Paul and Kamaru Usman? Who should Paul face next?