No shortcut! Jake Paul must prove himself against a ranked opponent to get a shot at the WBC cruiserweight belt.
Jake Paul still has to pass an important test before he is allowed to fight for the WBC belt. WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman explained that the 27-year-old must defeat a top 15 cruiserweight in the rankings in order to get a shot at the title. The social media star has recently made headlines with wins over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Mike Tyson, but these successes are not enough for the WBC to grant him an immediate fight for Badou Jack’s belt. Jack is currently preparing for his rematch against Noel Mikaelian.
Potential opponents for Paul include Ryan Rozicki, former world champion Chris Billam-Smith and Yuniel Dorticos. However, it is unclear whether Paul wants to go down this route – his promoter Nakisa Bidarian refused to comment when asked. The statements follow rumors that Paul tried to persuade Mikaelian to withdraw from the title fight with money – which Bidarian clearly denied. For Paul, the path to the title therefore remains open, but rocky: only a victory over a top-ranked opponent will make him worthy of the title.
Text by Robin Josten