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Jake Paul is targeting YouTubers, rappers and MMA fighters, not boxing championship belts

Jake Paul after stopping his first opponent, Ali Eson Gib.
Fighters Network
26
Nov

Jake Paul wants to clear the air about his future in the sweet science.

Contrary to prior reports, the Youtuber turned boxer is not interested in pursuing a world title.

“Winning a world title is not really my interest,” Paul said in an exclusive interview with The Ring. “My interest is to cross a bunch of people off my hit list.

“That list has YouTubers on it, rappers, and MMA fighters on it.”



Paul will square off against former NBA player Nate Robinson in a scheduled six-round light heavyweight contest that serves as the chief support for the Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. exhibition bout which will air on pay-per-view on Saturday.

The event, which broke PPV pre-sale fight records, will take place without fans at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

“It’s a dream come true,” Paul said. “If you would have told a 12-year-old Jake Paul that he would have been fighting on the same card as Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr., I wouldn’t know how to fathom that.

“It’s an honor. I respect the sport of boxing a lot and I want to put on a good show, and to show the boxing world that I’m a legitimate pro boxer.”

Paul also has the support of unbeaten middleweight prospect Nikita Ababiy, who told The Ring in a recent interview that he was shocked at his dedication.

“Anyone who has come into my camp has said the same thing,” he revealed. “The proof is in the pudding and Nikita is a close friend of mine and a great boxer and it’s awesome to hear things like that from him.”

With a victory over Robinson, the 23-year-old Paul (1-0, 1 knockout), who trains out of Calabasas, California, plans on calling out UFC fighters to cross over into the boxing ring for an eventual showdown.

“I want to fight Conor McGregor,” he stated. “Conor is the only MMA athlete that has come over and had a pay-per-view boxing event (with Floyd Mayweather Jr.).

“Dillon Danis and (now-retired) Ben Askren have also called me out. Let’s get in the ring then. I have a long list of people that I want to knock out, and that’s the game plan.”

When asked to provide his prediction for Tyson-Jones, Paul went with the former two-time heavyweight champion of the world.

“I think Mike Tyson will defeat Roy Jones Jr. by knockout in the third round,” he stated.

But if Tyson is unable to finish the job early, Paul hinted that Jones could come away as the victor.

“If the fight goes into the later rounds, I believe Jones will have an advantage with his speed and elusiveness.

“But I think Mike is just too powerful. I was with him the other day and he is in great shape.”

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