Jake Paul’s next opponent to be pro boxer Andre August،
Jake Paul’s opponent in his next boxing match will be Andre August (10-1 as a professional boxer), officials told ESPN on Wednesday.
The YouTuber-turned-fighter will face August on December 15 in Orlando, Florida. The fight will be contested at cruiserweight (200 pounds) and is contracted for eight rounds.
This represents a change in strategy for Paul, who during his boxing career has faced mostly older MMA fighters who made their names in the UFC.
Although this fight lacked the merit of previous ones, Paul’s critics wanted him to fight legitimate boxers – and August, by far Paul’s most experienced opponent in boxing, was representative of that.
“I’m a professional boxer and I want to be world champion, so I have to continue the path to greatness against people who have boxed their whole lives,” Paul said in a statement.
The card will be broadcast on DAZN and is not a pay-per-view event.
Paul (7-1, 4 KOs) is coming off a unanimous decision victory over former UFC star Nate Diaz in August. Before that, the Ohio native, who lives and trains in Puerto Rico, suffered his first career defeat, against Tommy Fury.
Paul, 26, also has boxing victories against former UFC champions Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley (two).
“Pound for pound great Terence Crawford fought a 9-14 opponent in his ninth fight, Canelo Alvarez fought an 0-1 opponent and Gervonta Davis fought an opponent who had 31 losses,” said Nakisa Bidarian, Paul’s business partner. and co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions. “But Terence, Canelo and Gervonta didn’t have the whole world watching. Jake Paul does, and he puts it all on the line again against a 10-1 opponent.”
August 35 is on a five-game winning streak. This will be the first time the Houston-based fighter has competed in an eight-round fight.
“Jake Paul has the money, the fame, the team and the resources but he doesn’t have my hunger,” August said in a statement. “When that bell rings, I’m going straight to Jake Paul, ring the bell and send him back to YouTube for good.”
The co-main event of the card will be a WBC women’s super middleweight title fight between Shadasia Green and Franchón Crews-Dezurn.
