Jake Paul defeats Chávez Jr.: Seeks tougher rivals and the world title

Jake Paul Keeps Surprising: Victory Against Julio César Chávez Jr.

In yet another demonstration of his unexpected boxing career, Jake Paul secured a unanimous decision victory against former WBC middleweight world champion Julio César Chávez Jr. Paul achieved his most significant triumph to date against a former world champion, although the latter was far from his best. The fight, which took place at the Honda Center, had a crowd mostly in favor of Chávez, with scorecards of 99-91, 97-93 and 98-92. Paul, aware of his role as the antagonist, entered the ring with the song “Lean Like a Cholo” by the rapper Down AKA Kilo and wearing a robe with the colors of the Mexican flag. Chávez, on the other hand, was received as a hero, taking advantage of the renown of his last name and the legend of his father. Despite the public’s support, Chávez’s performance was discreet for most of the fight. Only in the last rounds, when he was already at a disadvantage on the scorecards, did the Mexican boxer show more energy. Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) dominated much of the fight, using his jab against a lackluster Chávez, who spent the first rounds chasing the influencer-turned-boxer without throwing punches.

Around the middle of the fight, Paul began to accompany his jab with his right hand and incorporated an uppercut into his offense. Chávez (54-7-1, 34 KOs) was never put in danger, but seemed to settle for following his opponent around the ring, waiting for a decisive blow that never came.

Chávez reacted in the last two rounds, connecting strong blows to a Paul who showed signs of fatigue. Paul, however, withstood the onslaught and continued throwing punches until the end. With this victory, Paul is getting closer to his dream of competing for a world title, and he made his intentions clear after the fight.

I want tougher rivals and I want to be world champion. ‘Zurdo’ (Ramírez) looked slow tonight. That’s easy work. I want Badou Jack. Tommy Fury can also fight me. Stop running from me, Tommy.

Jake Paul

“Lefty” Ramirez Retains His Titles

In the co-stellar event, Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramírez (48-1, 30 KOs) retained his WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles, defeating Yuniel Dorticos (27-3, 25 KOs) by unanimous decision. The judges scored the fight 115-112, 115-112, and 117-110. Ramirez had an uncertain start, showing slowness and allowing Dorticos to corner him and throw punches to the head and body. “Lefty” reacted in the final rounds, taking control of the center of the ring and combining punches to the head and body. Dorticos focused on working the body, but several of his punches were low. This cost him a point in the tenth round, with the fight still in play. By then, Ramírez had gained momentum and closed the second half of the fight strongly, dominating the center of the ring and initiating his offense. Neither boxer was in danger of being knocked out, but “Zurdo” will return to Mexico with his titles after a solid performance. Ramírez has won four consecutive fights since he lost the light heavyweight title to Dmitry Bivol in 2022. Although Paul has his sights set on a fight with Ramírez, the Mexican champion is looking for a match with the undefeated IBF champion, Jai Opetaia.