By Imagine becoming a multi-millionaire at 17 years of age. Imagine the pressure, your every move being noticed by the public and tabloids.
That was the case for YouTuber Jake Paul, who says that he’s made his fair share of mistakes as the world watched his transformation from Disney Channel star into one of the biggest names in professional boxing.
“There was a lot of learning and growth to go through,” Paul tells CNN Sport. “Making tens of millions of dollars at 17, 18, 19, 20, in Los Angeles, you’re going to do some crazy things … I had to learn a lot and grow up in front of the world.”
These days, Paul is mostly known for his exploits in the boxing ring, most recently defeating former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, more than 30 years Paul’s senior, via unanimous decision.
It’s the latest fight in a controversial boxing career, one in which he has taken on range of social media stars, retired MMA fighters and athletes amid some pro boxers and active fighters.
Since January, rumors have spiraled about the 28-year-old’s next opponent and a possible mega fight against boxing superstar Canelo Álvarez.
Paul teased a fight announcement on his social media platforms, saying it was nearly a done deal, but Álvarez, the super middleweight undisputed champion, instead signed a four-fight contract with Saudi adviser Turki Alalshikh and Riyadh Season, a series of entertainment events in the Middle East nation.
Álvarez’s next fight will instead be an undisputed super middleweight bout against William Scull in Riyadh in May. In a video shared by Ring Magazine, the Mexican champion aimed a barb at Paul, saying that he’s only interested in facing “real fighters.”
“Ultimately, it fell through because they had a desire to do it on pay-per-view at the last minute, and we had made a commitment to our distribution partner Netflix,” Nakisa Bidarian, the co-founder of Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), tells CNN.
“We refused to budge, and they refused to budge, and then (Álvarez) got an offer to do another fight and make a four-fight deal with the Saudis, and that’s what he chose to do.”
Although disappointed, Paul has been vocal about his dream of becoming a boxing world champion. For now, he plans to gain more experience and further develop his skillset in the sweet science, hopeful of fighting Álvarez further down the road.
“For sure, God’s plan,” Paul says when asked about the possibility of fighting Álvarez. “It’s going to happen, and it’s going to be even better for me when it happens. He should’ve got me when I’m not nearly as skilled as him.”
One thing is for certain, Paul is never shy of an opponent and receives nonstop callouts from fighters online. This is, perhaps, because fighting Paul has financial benefits.
Former UFC champion Tyrone Woodley, for example, made $2 million for one fight with Paul, according to MMA Junkie.
“I want to fight everybody, and I’m going to get to all opponents,” Paul tells CNN. “There’s a line, but the majority of the time I want to pick the biggest and toughest challenges that people don’t think I’m going to win, so I can prove them wrong and shock the world time and time again.”
Bidarian added: “A lot of these fighters look at it and say, ‘This is going to be my biggest payday, and it’s going to be my easiest time at the office.’
“Unfortunately for them, almost every single time, it turns out to be the opposite (in the ring).”
With all the names being linked with Paul, there is one man who remains his dream opponent: controversial MMA fighter Conor McGregor.
Once considered the most exciting fighter on the planet, McGregor’s last fight was a first-round knockout loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021. It was then announced that the Irishman would face Michael Chandler at UFC 303, but the fight was eventually scrapped when McGregor suffered a broken toe during training. He has since been embroiled in two cases involving sexual assault and sexual battery.
The potential fight, though, still excites Bidarian, although he admits the dream scenario is one that is unlikely to become reality.
“One in boxing, one in MMA … That would be a great year of action for Jake Paul in my mind,” Bidarian says, speaking of an ideal situation.
“I don’t believe Conor McGregor is ever going to fight Jake Paul. The outcome is kind of known in advance that Jake is going to be victorious if they were ever to meet in the boxing ring.”
While often considered a divisive figure, Paul has received praise for the way he’s provided a platform for women’s boxing.
When Paul and Bidarian, who was previously the CFO of the UFC, founded MVP in 2021, one of the main goals was to ensure that fighters were paid fairly. With that in mind, the company signed Puerto Rican superstar Amanda Serrano, who Paul says might be “one of the best fighters, male or female” in history.
“She was getting $5,000 dollars per fight, and that didn’t seem fair. I really wanted to help her,” Paul says.
“When I wasn’t with Jake Paul, every other day, I was retired,” Serrano told CNN Sport. “There was no benefits out of boxing. I just did it for the love of the sport. Even being a seven division world champion, I was making nothing.”
The 36-year-old Serrano has earned world titles across several weight classes during her career. In recent years, she has made history by twice fighting Ireland’s Katie Taylor in what were two of the most scintillating bouts in boxing history.
The rematch was on the undercard for Paul’s fight against Tyson in 2024 and stole the show, with Taylor winning by unanimous decision in a controversial bout.
For her part, Serrano says it was a life-changing decision to sign with MVP and refers to Bidarian’s promise to make her a millionaire within one year of signing.
“He lied,” Serrano jokes with CNN. “He made me a millionaire within six to eight months of signing. (Bidarian) lied to me. He told me I’d be a millionaire in a year, and it was less than that.”
While Paul fights on the biggest stage, Bidarian is all about the numbers, and the former accountant has massive plans for Serrano in 2025.
“Our goal is to have Amanda be the highest paid woman in the history of sports for a single event,” he says.
Paul lives much of his life online and that doesn’t stop when it comes to his personal relationships, including with his girlfriend, Dutch Olympic speed skater Jutta Leerdam.
Paul calls their relationship a “modern-day” love story, given the pair met via Instagram.
He says having a relationship with an athlete has its challenges – he gets to see her at least once a month with the pair living and training apart – but dating an athlete of her stature also has benefits.
“We understand each other’s goals,” Paul says. “We’re able to help each other work towards that and make each other better athletes. We’re there to support each other in the biggest way possible.
“There will be days when maybe I’m supposed to have an off day and she’s going for a six-mile run, and I’m just like, ‘I’ll go with you.’”
Paul may only be 28, but he’s already lived a wild life which seems to show no signs of slowing down. Looking ahead to 2025, he has even bigger plans.
There have been rumors that he could perhaps make the transition to MMA, but Paul says that’s unlikely in the near-future, unless a lucrative opponent turns up.
Instead, he says he wants to fight twice in the year and is focused on building up his skills as a boxer.
As has been the case throughout his life, he doesn’t listen to his critics and still believes there is a path for him to one day be a world champion.
“There are a lot of people knocking on the door, and I just want to continue to grow my skillset,” he says.
“My path to becoming world champion, that is still the goal … I want to become one of the best boxers in the world, do big fights and make the fans happy.”
