Jake Paul returns to the ring tonight (Saturday) when he clashes with ex-middleweight title holder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, live on DAZN pay-per-view. Paul (11-1, 7 KOs) did not get a stoppage win over Mike Tyson in November but did defeat the legend on points. Chavez Jr. (54-6-1 with 1 no contest, 34 KOs) [has not competed diligently for years but] last produced a unanimous decision win over Uriah Hall last July. The undercard also sees a superb contest as Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez and ex-champ Yuniel Dorticos clash, with Zurdo's unified cruiserweight titles on the line. Also on the bill Holly Holm and Yolanda Vega meet, and Floyd Schofield and Tevin Farmer go at it.
Here are the boxers' weights for the featured fights:
WBC / WBO cruiserweight championship
Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez 199.8 pounds vs. Yuniel Dorticos 198.6;
Main event - ten rounds
Jake Paul - 199.4 vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr - 198.4;
Floyd Schofield Jr. 134.8 vs. Tevin Farmer 135; and
Raul Curiel 146.4 vs. Victor Rodriguez 145.2.
FROM DAZN: Paul's rise through boxing's landscape from showman novelty to potential contender speaks arguably more to his broad appeal beyond the sport's usual fanbase. But he has frequently proven he can talk the talk, even though his choice of opponents are yet to represent higher-tier tests. His win over a 58 year-old Tyson, regardless of format, is something he will be able to carry with him across the rest of his career, no matter how long it lives on beyond this.
Chavez, who has fought the likes of Canelo Alvarez, Daniel Jacobs, Brian Vera, Sergio Martinez, Andy Lee and Marco Antonio Rubio, does not see any kind of situation that will have him watching Paul’s hand be raised in victory following 10 rounds of action. So much so that Chavez Jr does not even foresee Paul being able to land his vaunted overhand right. “I don’t think he could catch me with the right hand,” Chavez Jr. said bluntly.
The battle-tested fighter realizes that Paul (11-1, 7 KOs) could land on the WBA and WBC cruiserweight rankings with a convincing win and subsequently chase a world title shot — and he wants to derail those plans, showing ‘The Problem Child’ that there are indeed levels to sweet science mastery. That said, upsetting Paul’s plans is still a lofty ambition.
