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MMA veteran and combat sports analyst Chael Sonnen believes a lot of boxers are jealous of Jake Paul’s ongoing success in their sport.
Paul, who possesses a massive following on social media, has headlined several high-profile boxing pay-per-views – with only a record of 5-0 with four knockouts.
One of the biggest criticisms that Paul hears, is the fact that he hasn’t fought a boxer.
He was scheduled to face Tommy Fury (7-0, 4 KOs), the younger brother of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson, last month on pay-per-view.
Fury withdrew on late notice with a broken rib and a chest infection. He was replaced by former UFC champion Tyron Woodley – who was brutally knocked out in the sixth round.
According to Sonnen, a lot of boxers should take notes on Paul’s rise to better market themselves.
“‘He should fight a boxer’, that’s a quote. That is a quote said by everybody that wants to bury Paul. Not one goddamn person has said a name. And the reason is, you don’t know them,” Sonnen said on his Youtube channel.
“Boxing has done a terrible job. Boxers do a terrible job with the self-promotion. They look at Paul and they are jealous instead of looking at Paul and going, ‘Oh my goodness, this is what I need to do. This is what I should be doing.’
“Cause we can just keep throwing out the term, ‘a boxer’, we can say it till we’re blue in the face or we can tell the truth. We don’t know who they are.”
The 24-year-old Paul fought three times in 2021.
He plans to take some time off in 2022, before returning to the ring in the summer.
“I don’t really know what’s next on the roadmap. I’ve done it all, I’ve accomplished what I want to accomplish. I need to take a break, I’ve been going at this non-stop for a year and a half and it’s a lot,” Paul said.
“I’m exhausted, I need to spend time with my family at Christmas and go on a vacation, I haven’t gone on a vacation since I was 18 years old.”