Eddie Hearn has offered Jake Paul his pick from 400 possible opponents for his boxing return, including Olympian Cheavon Clarke.
Hearn and Paul are currently working together to co-promote the massive undisputed lightweight title fight between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano in New York this weekend. But after initially appearing friendly in the lead-up to the historic match-up, they have begun to show cracks in their relationship.
And after Paul bit on Hearn's claim he has never fought a real boxer, the pair went back-and-forth as their post-event media scrum got a little bit testy. The Matchroom Boxing boss believes that the 5-0 boxer will never progress to world level, while Paul argues that he would beat most of Hearn's younger roster regardless of weight class.
"Anybody, any weight under 10-0?" Hearn asked. "I've got about 400 of them. Cheavon Clarke is 1-0, he boxed in the Olympics, didn't medal, he's just had one professional fight. He's a cruiserweight, you can have him. I'll be careful with the price, I've got fighters for you. Any time, I hope you do [move up the ranks]."
And Paul believes that not only will he be able to beat the likes of Clarke, but he will one day have enough to get past multiple-weight world champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez. He replied to Hearn by saying: "Anyone, any weight, under ten fights I will beat anybody on your roster. No problem, give me your best 'real boxer'. Let's do it,
"I already said, I'm down. We're betting a million dollars [on Taylor vs Serrano] and I'm taking on anyone on your roster with under ten fights. That's right now, too. Give me a couple of years, bro, I'm coming for your boy Canelo [Alvarez]. That's one of the biggest fights in boxing that can be made."
Paul has drawn the ire of many members of the boxing fraternity for his outspoken ways, and appeared to even be getting on Hearn's nerves after claiming that former UFC champion Tyron Woodley constituted a real boxer. Woodley was debuting when they first fought to a split decision, while Paul was 3-0. He was 0-1 for their rematch, in which he was brutally knocked out.
Would you watch Jake Paul fight a former Olympian who just made his professional debut? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
The YouTuber was due to face Tommy Fury last December instead of rematching Woodley but was unfortunately forced into the change when the Love Island star pulled out with a broken rib.
Losing the fight cost Paul not just the chance to take on a 7-0 boxer at the time - now 8-0 - but millions of dollars at the box office. Asked if the fight cancellation cost him seven figures, Paul told Mirror Fighting, "Yeah, for sure". "I don't know really," he said of the exact amount. "I don't keep track of that, who knows?
"Look, people weren't as excited for the Tyron fight as they were for the Tommy fight because they had already gotten that product. It was hard to change the whole promotion around last minute to Tyron Woodley rematch.
"But it is what it is, in boxing you have to roll with the punches and I got the chance to go back at someone who went eight rounds with me. And I got the chance to go back again and show that I had gotten better in camp and I got the knockout."
