“Jake Paul is not fighting a real boxer. He’s smarter than you and me put together! It’s not a scam because people know what they’re getting. But he’s not interested in fighting someone who would really give him a beating.”
In an interview with Fight Hub TV, the legendary promoter lashed out at the announced fight between Jake Paul and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr: “This isn’t even boxing,” raged Arum. “I thought Chavez would have quit a long time ago. And Jake Paul is not a boxer.”
Arum did not have a good word to say about the duel, which in his opinion was damaging to boxing. Although Chavez Jr. defeated an ex-MMA fighter (Uriah Hall) in July 2024, his best days are long behind him – at least since his one-sided defeat to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in 2017. Since then, Chavez has looked like an occasional boxer with a penchant for half-fights.
Jake Paul also got his comeuppance. Although Bob Arum admits that the YouTuber has a certain show talent, he doesn’t fight against real boxers. He is smarter than all of us – because he “knows how to make money without taking risks.” If Paul were to call for a Top Rank fighter, Arum would have two suitable names: Richard Torrez Jr. or Artur Beterbiev, the latter of whom had already provoked Paul via social media. But the legendary promoter is certain that Jake Paul would never box someone who could seriously beat him up.
Text by Robin Josten