YouTuber turned Boxer Jake Paul will face former UFC welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley, for his next professional boxing match later this year, as first reported by MMA Island.
The event will be hosted by Showtime on a date to be determined. While there hasn’t been an official announcement of the Paul vs. Woodley fight taking place, Paul posted on his Twitter earlier on Monday afternoon teasing a fight announcement for tomorrow.
This would be Woodley’s boxing debut after a long-tenured career in MMA, and more specifically the UFC. Woodley is widely considered to be one of the most accomplished welterweights in UFC history, earning the title over Robbie Lawler and then defending the belt four times. After losing the belt at UFC 235 to Kamaru Usman, Woodley went on a four-fight losing streak with the latest against Vicente Luque by submission at UFC 260.
As for Paul, he’ll look to keep his winning ways with a step-up in competition in Woodley. Paul defeated Woodley’s teammate Ben Askren by first-round knockout earlier this year. Askren is mostly known as a wrestler, while Woodley is a more balanced martial artist and known for his elite knockout power and striking abilities.
Boxing insider Mike Coppinger is also reporting that Paul and Woodley will square off in a promotional faceoff in Miami on Friday. This would mark the first time the two have come face-to-face since the Paul vs. Askren fight.
The two have gone back-and-forth in the media since Paul’s last fight, with Woodley getting into a locker room altercation with one of Paul’s teammates just before the bout. Days later, Woodley would publically call for a fight with Paul during an interview with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, along with a series of posts on Twitter.
Paul is undefeated in the boxing ring with a record of 3-0 with three knockouts over fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib, former NBA star Nate Robinson, and Askren. The fight against Woodley would be unquestionably Paul’s toughest test to date.
What do you think about the reported boxing match between Jake Paul and Tyron Woodley?