Sports

The Youtube Con: How Jake Paul Is Ruining Boxing

Darren - February 28, 2023

Sports

The Youtube Con: How Jake Paul Is Ruining Boxing

Darren - February 28, 2023

MMA Fan Exploitation

Paul brilliantly exploited MMA’s passionate fanbases. There’s a reason why he didn’t fight a proper boxer until his seventh bout. He knew that it would be easier to beat MMA fighters because of their more limited striking. But it also meant that more MMA fans watched his matches than boxing purists (via MMA Fighting).

He intelligently escalated the jeopardy of his boxing career. Paul fought Askren before the hard-hitting Woodley. Then he faced the aged icon, Anderson Silva, one of the greatest MMA strikers ever. But each of these athletes carried a handicap into their matches. MMA fans watched because they wanted to see their favorites beat him.

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Diluted Boxing

Paul fans say that he is introducing the sport to a new demographic. But the reality is that he’s diluting it with his shoddy fights and dumb belts. The WBC announced that Paul and Fury would fight for the Diriyah Belt, a ceremonial title. Instantly, critics labeled it the ‘Diarrhea Belt’ (via Daily Star).

They also lambasted the WBC for devaluing their product. Allegedly the WBC was ready to give him a top ranking if he won that match. This is unfair to dedicated athletes who dream of reaching the top of the sport. Meanwhile, fans watch a weaker version of the sport that’s more akin to white-collar boxing.

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Abusive Relationships

Another issue with Paul is that he is allegedly an abusive partner. Model Railey Lollie accused Paul of groping her without her consent. Reportedly, she was 17 and he referred to her as ‘jailbait.’ Meanwhile, another influencer, Justine Paradise accused him of forcing her to commit sexual acts and abuse (via Insider).

Former partners also said that he participated in emotional abuse and made their lives a nightmare. But Paul pretends that he is a white knight riding to save a sport. The truth is that he’s purportedly not a good person and a terrible role model. This also makes it more reasonable to hate him.

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Woodley Woes

We’ll give Paul credit because he stepped into a ring with a former UFC champion. But there’s no pretending that Tyron Woodley is a great boxer. The MMA star possessed fearsome knockout power but had limited technical boxing skills. Paul exposed this when they fought twice with the second bout coming on short notice.

These were very frustrating matches because Woodley refused to throw his hands. He rattled Paul in the first match with one strong connection but failed to follow up. In the end, some people called it a fix because of his limited output. However, Paul’s wins didn’t make him the next incarnation of Muhammad Ali despite beating Woodley twice (via TalkSport).

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Edfluence

We mentioned earlier that Paul has a pernicious influence on children. But he actively tried to exploit them with two devious moneymaking schemes. Let’s talk about Edluence, one of Paul’s guides to becoming a successful influencer. He charged fans seven dollars to unlock a series of content to start on this path.

However, they contained basic and ridiculous tips like ‘own a cellphone.’ None of this was groundbreaking information and it ripped people off. This was a horrible thing to do because people bought these guides in good faith. Paul exploited vulnerable and gullible people for cold hard cash (via The Verge).

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Boring Fighter

One of the myths about Paul’s boxing career is that he is one of the most exciting athletes on the planet. The reality is that he has very average skills and struggles with the fundamentals. His footwork is terrible and he over-relies on his power. Yes, he got some highlight reel finishes but the overall fights were garbage.

Paul clinches like a child hugging their mother on the first day of school. The Woodley fights were terrible and it was lucky that he smashed him. The problem is that casuals think this is high-level boxing. It’s bad for the sport because they may think it’s boring and the quality is shocking (via Manchester Evening News).

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Rigged Contract Rumors

Let’s caveat this by saying there’s never been hard evidence that Paul rigged his fights. However, a leaked script before the Fury bout ignited fears that this was a scam. It wasn’t the first time that Paul attracted heat as people accused Tyron Woodley of diving. In the end, he lost the Fury fight and this wasn’t in the script.

Even if Paul doesn’t rig the fights it’s clear he has the referees and commentary on his side. He received biased decisions in all of his bouts. Meanwhile, the commentators always favor him and overlook the opponent’s good work. Furthermore, they even interviewed his brother in the middle of the Fury bout (via SportBible).

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Old Anderson

It says a lot about Paul’s career that his best win was over a 47-year-old MMA fighter. Anderson Silva is brilliant but he’s not the wizard that he was as a young man. In the end, Paul’s conditioning was too much for the Brazilian legend as he won a decision. But it left a bad taste in many people’s mouths.

That’s because they don’t want to see their favorite MMA fighters risk their health against a man in his prime. Paul tried to paint the narrative that he defeated a striking icon but this isn’t true. He beat Silva’s shadow in a tight match-up that didn’t excite the masses. That’s the story of Paul’s boxing career (via MSN).

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Team 1000

This is the second part of Paul’s exploitative money-making schemes. After people joined Edfluence they could take another step and join Team 1000. They paid $57 for the privilege of joining his famous Internet clique. But this proved to be a scam and they only received a few bonus videos.

Meanwhile, the original website for Edfluence no longer exists so people lost their purchases. Amazingly, Paul got away with this but he attracted a lot of condemnation. Somehow, he retains a massive and loyal fanbase. It doesn’t matter that he doesn’t care about anybody but himself (via CCN).

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Exploits Older Fighters

Another issue with Paul is that he is exploiting older fighters. He recognizes that they have limited options after they leave the UFC. Then he teases them with the chance of a major payday before humiliating them. It says a lot that he fought a pair of smaller wrestlers and a quinquagenarian in Anderson Silva (via The Mirror).

Meanwhile, he is interested in facing Nate Diaz because of the MMA legend’s profile. Remember, Diaz has a lot of scar tissue on his face and is smaller than Paul. It’s another winnable match-up for ‘The Problem Child.’ He also had links to a clash with Michael Bisping. The former UFC middleweight champion has one eye and underwent multiple knee surgeries.

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The Fury Loss

Paul is a fraud because he lost against the first proper boxer he fought. Remember, Tommy Fury doesn’t belong in the same conversation as his brother Tyson. The younger Fury’s wins came against opponents with a collective record of 24-176-5. This is ludicrous but he was still better at boxing than Paul’s previous MMA rivals.

The YouTuber had no answer for Fury’s jab and spent more time clinching than anything else. He claimed one knockdown but didn’t win that round either because he lost a point. The split decision was a joke but that’s typical of boxing’s corruption. Finally, the world discovered Paul’s level and realized that level isn’t very good (via The Guardian).

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