Does Jake Paul’s success delegitimize combat sports?

[Love]

Jake Paul knocked out Tyron Woodley tonight. Good for him I actually don’t have anything against the guy. Looks like he works hard and is enjoying himself.

But I can’t help but think after this KO: “Seriously? Are MMA fighters really this bad? I thought these guys were elite, highly skilled athletes.” I get the Askren KO - he was a historically terrible striker in the UFC. I get the Nate Robinson KO - he’s a miniature former NBA player.

Sure Jake Paul is bigger than Woodley, but Woodley was a legit mixed martial artist and former welterweight champion. He’s not even THAT old by fighting standards. I can’t help but wonder, are combat sports so starved for talent that almost anyone with above average athleticism and hard work can come in and be a pro (exaggerating here a bit)?

To me this Jake Paul thing is akin to some random 22 year old who’s never played basketball being like “I’m gonna play in the NBA” then practicing for 2 years, then going and beating Carmelo Anthony in 1 on 1. That simply could never, ever, not in a million years, EVER happen. Zero chance. Zip. None. But Jake Paul did something like that with boxing. Yea it’s a bit different but not that different.

You cannot just decide in your 20s to become an NHL player then be playing for the Leafs 2 years later. It is literally impossible. You need at least 15 years of skating, puck handling, shooting, being coached, learning the game, and even then 99.99% don’t even come remotely close to the NHL. And we’re talking 15-20 years of training not 2-3 or whatever it was for Jake Paul. For any skilled sport such as basketball, hockey, soccer, etc what Jake Paul did is not possible.

Therefore, for me tonight I felt a little disappointed in combat sports. Like I said I have nothing against Paul I’m happy for him, but it feels like combat sports are a bit tainted for me: am I really watching hyper elite athletes competing at the highest level? Or am I watching merely very good athletes who are willing to get punched in the face for money?

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[John Price]

No

Jake puts in the time and effort to train and be good

And it's not all about him boxing is pretty good with canelo, Tyson fury etc

 

[Canes]

He's fighting handpicked guys that aren't even real boxers. No.

It's literally a sideshow clown act framed as boxing.

 

[DaaaaB's]

No

Jake puts in the time and effort to train and be good

And it's not all about him boxing is pretty good with canelo, Tyson fury etc

Jake isn't good tho. He beat a washed up old wrestler who was never good at boxing at any point in his career.

As for the OP - comparing beating Woodley at boxing to beating Carmelo at basketball makes no sense.

 

[Roshi]

Jake Paul hasnt made it to NHL yet. Far from it.

Its more like training hockey hard couple years and then challenging soccer players (or maybe figure skaters) for hockey matchup.

But i like what Paul is doing. Big time entertainment. and he is actually getting better day by day, putting in the work. He might make it to AHL some day

 

[The Burdened]

people just need to take Jake Paul's gimmick at face value.
He's a YTuber training to box, is boxing non-boxers and beating non-boxers.

It doesn't delegitimize anything in my eyes.
CM Punk's run in the UFC and competing on legit UFC main cards over legends like Overeem was more of a black eye for combat sports.

Punk was someone who didn't take anything seriously outside of Duke Roufus taking Punk's money a few times a week thinking he was gonna be a cage fighter and he ended up getting humiliated.
Paul at least puts some time in and he is good at putting on freakshow spectacles.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

I don't think so. I think he gets his ass kicked proper if he fights any boxer worth a damn in his prime.

 

[John Price]

people just need to take Jake Paul's gimmick at face value.
He's a YTuber training to box, is boxing non-boxers and beating non-boxers.

It doesn't delegitimize anything in my eyes.
CM Punk's run in the UFC and competing on legit UFC main cards over legends like Overeem was more of a black eye for combat sports.

Punk was someone who didn't take anything seriously outside of Duke Roufus taking Punk's money a few times a week thinking he was gonna be a cage fighter and he ended up getting humiliated.
Paul at least puts some time in and he is good at putting on freakshow spectacles.

Exactly. If he's losing or insulting the game then complain, but by all accounts he's putting in the time and work to win. Now he hasn't beaten anyone significant but nobody is expecting him to. He would get crushed by anyone legit in boxing like Gevonta "Tank" Davis or Lomanchenko or Canelo or Tyson Fury. But he's working his way up.

If Max Kellerman has no beef I have no beef.

 

[Orange Fanta]

No it just means he's legitimate, anyone saying otherwise at this point is just purely hate

 

[FrozenJagrt]

He beat Woodley twice, yes. Woodley has famously been very gunshy since losing his title and hasn't won a fight since 2018. The guy has been done for a long time.

Paul also beat another former champ in Ben Askren. 3 months after Aksren had his hip replaced. A guy known for pillow hands, who was never a great striker.

This Paul kid is very selective about who he fights. Targeting over-the-hill has beens who bring name recognition. Still hasn't fought a real boxer.

These fights are about as legitimate as Ali vs Inoki. The results shouldn't be taken seriously.

My worry about what the Paul Brothers are doing is that they seem to be buying into their own hype. And now there's talk of the older one fighting Mike Tyson. Another over-the-hill guy, but a man who still has the speed and power to seriously hurt the kid. That's a bad idea.

 

[holy]

It’s fixed lol. Everything is these days, this is just the pumping part of a good pump n dump.

 

[kihei]

No it just means he's legitimate, anyone saying otherwise at this point is just purely hate

A legitimate showman, maybe. I have nothing against Paul but I am not going to consider him "legitimate" until he fights legitimate boxers and wins.

 

[PeteWorrell]

Jake Paul is the symptom and not the cause of boxing turning into a circus. In the spotlight you have Canelo and then a bunch of guys thrown into a ring with boxing gloves on. All the legitimate boxing superstars have retired and no one has been able to replace them so here we are now.

 

[Blitzkrug]

^This

Boxing was delegitimized when its biggest "stars" were cowards like Floyd Mayweather who were more concerned with preserving their totally manufactured "legacies" over proving they were actually the best of the best.

You look at the guys who fought before them; Tyson, Lewis, Holyfield, Jones. These guys became a big deal because they worked their way to the top and then actually fought the guys who were on their level. Now because of this, most big name boxers don't even crack the mainstream in the realm of sports. can guys like Tyson Fury, Deontae Wilder and others box? sure. Does anyone care? Not really, no.

That and i think MMA stole a lot of boxing's thunder

 

[bigbabybuda]

If the older Paul fights Tyson and its not setup he very well could die.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

It’s a symptom not a cause.

 

[karhukissa]

Put him against Canelo and you'll see the difference between a boxer and a youtuber. Or against anyone that has atleast some kind of a professional boxing record.

Or then you could just pick any Cuban or Kazakh competitive amateur boxer and they would dismantle Paul. So that's about it.

 

[Boxertim]

Jake Paul knocked out Tyron Woodley tonight. Good for him I actually don’t have anything against the guy. Looks like he works hard and is enjoying himself.

But I can’t help but think after this KO: “Seriously? Are MMA fighters really this bad? I thought these guys were elite, highly skilled athletes.” I get the Askren KO - he was a historically terrible striker in the UFC. I get the Nate Robinson KO - he’s a miniature former NBA player.

Sure Jake Paul is bigger than Woodley, but Woodley was a legit mixed martial artist and former welterweight champion. He’s not even THAT old by fighting standards. I can’t help but wonder, are combat sports so starved for talent that almost anyone with above average athleticism and hard work can come in and be a pro (exaggerating here a bit)?

To me this Jake Paul thing is akin to some random 22 year old who’s never played basketball being like “I’m gonna play in the NBA” then practicing for 2 years, then going and beating Carmelo Anthony in 1 on 1. That simply could never, ever, not in a million years, EVER happen. Zero chance. Zip. None. But Jake Paul did something like that with boxing. Yea it’s a bit different but not that different.

You cannot just decide in your 20s to become an NHL player then be playing for the Leafs 2 years later. It is literally impossible. You need at least 15 years of skating, puck handling, shooting, being coached, learning the game, and even then 99.99% don’t even come remotely close to the NHL. And we’re talking 15-20 years of training not 2-3 or whatever it was for Jake Paul. For any skilled sport such as basketball, hockey, soccer, etc what Jake Paul did is not possible.

Therefore, for me tonight I felt a little disappointed in combat sports. Like I said I have nothing against Paul I’m happy for him, but it feels like combat sports are a bit tainted for me: am I really watching hyper elite athletes competing at the highest level? Or am I watching merely very good athletes who are willing to get punched in the face for money?

I think you are comparing what he did to the wrong type of sports. hockey, basketball etc are all too complicated compared to fighting. You would be better off comparing it to running or jumping. I’d think there would be a much better chance of an athletic guy deciding he is going to run and then practices for 2 years and then proceeds to finish 25th at nationals…in my opinion of course.

 

[MVP of West Hollywd]

He would surely lose to Woodley in MMA but doing it in boxing helps

Paul bros are great athletes. I was surprised by Logan in his Summerslam match. He was doing things athletically only a few guys with his size can in the company.

 

[sabremike]

Jake Paul knocked out Tyron Woodley tonight. Good for him I actually don’t have anything against the guy. Looks like he works hard and is enjoying himself.

But I can’t help but think after this KO: “Seriously? Are MMA fighters really this bad? I thought these guys were elite, highly skilled athletes.” I get the Askren KO - he was a historically terrible striker in the UFC. I get the Nate Robinson KO - he’s a miniature former NBA player.

Sure Jake Paul is bigger than Woodley, but Woodley was a legit mixed martial artist and former welterweight champion. He’s not even THAT old by fighting standards. I can’t help but wonder, are combat sports so starved for talent that almost anyone with above average athleticism and hard work can come in and be a pro (exaggerating here a bit)?

To me this Jake Paul thing is akin to some random 22 year old who’s never played basketball being like “I’m gonna play in the NBA” then practicing for 2 years, then going and beating Carmelo Anthony in 1 on 1. That simply could never, ever, not in a million years, EVER happen. Zero chance. Zip. None. But Jake Paul did something like that with boxing. Yea it’s a bit different but not that different.

You cannot just decide in your 20s to become an NHL player then be playing for the Leafs 2 years later. It is literally impossible. You need at least 15 years of skating, puck handling, shooting, being coached, learning the game, and even then 99.99% don’t even come remotely close to the NHL. And we’re talking 15-20 years of training not 2-3 or whatever it was for Jake Paul. For any skilled sport such as basketball, hockey, soccer, etc what Jake Paul did is not possible.

Therefore, for me tonight I felt a little disappointed in combat sports. Like I said I have nothing against Paul I’m happy for him, but it feels like combat sports are a bit tainted for me: am I really watching hyper elite athletes competing at the highest level? Or am I watching merely very good athletes who are willing to get punched in the face for money?

It's actually like beating Sidney Crosby 1 on 1 in basketball. Boxing and MMA are totally different sports with totally different skills needed to succeed. Perfect example was an MMA freakshow match many years back between Butterbean and (IIRC) Genki Sudo (who was a really good small MMA fighter). Bean was a freakshow but the guy knew how to throw a punch but this was an MMA fight so Sudo went down on his back and suckered Bean to go on the ground where he was a sitting duck and got submitted in short order.

 

[DaaaaB's]

He would surely lose to Woodley in MMA but doing it in boxing helps

Paul bros are great athletes. I was surprised by Logan in his Summerslam match. He was doing things athletically only a few guys with his size can in the company.

No, they're not great athletes. Not even close. And there's a lot of wrestlers bigger than Logan who are more athletic than him in the ring.

 

[kihei]

I wish. we could be so lucky.

 

[gritdash60]

To put it short, yes it does in case of MMA. He wouldn't have won a single match against a boxer with experience and wins.

 

[eXile3]

Every boxer these days build their records fighting scrubs. Not sure how this is different. Tune into some garbage undercards. Guys with 8 wins and 100 losses will be fodder for some new up and comer.

He's also bringing attention to a dying sport.

 

[DaaaaB's]

Every boxer these days build their records fighting scrubs. Not sure how this is different. Tune into some garbage undercards. Guys with 8 wins and 100 losses will be fodder for some new up and comer.

He's also bringing attention to a dying sport.

The guys who build their records like that do it in a few years usually fighting 6-8 times per year to start. That's the way every boxer used to do it and most still do. Some eastern European boxers who fought long amateur careers are taking tough fights early as a pro though. Paul's not doing it either way.

Is it good attention though? I don't think he's creating new boxing fans. Viewership for actual boxing hasn't went up.