Jake Paul has been mocked by fans as well as top minds in boxing for claiming that he "single-handedly saved" the sport.
The YouTuber has been trolling the boxing world since his first amateur fight in 2018, and has been ramping up his efforts after making his professional debut in 2020. He is currently one of the most divisive names in the sport, and despite turning some hardcores around with his battle for improved fighter pay, he is still known for his outlandish comments.
And he made a tongue-in-cheek remark about his importance in the sport during a recent episode of The MMA Hour, which has again drawn the ire of supporters. He semi-seriously claimed that he has brought the sport back to prominence since turning to fighting, and slammed the likes of Tyson Fury and Gervonta Davis for not making major fights happen.
"I think this is why boxing was such a dying sport before I came into it," he said of fighters demanding more money for the matches fans want to see.
"I literally saved the whole, entire sport, basically single-handedly along with some other heavyweights and some lightweights, but mostly because of me boxing was saved.
"And I'm starting to realise what the problem was, it's all of these fighters who don't want to man up and actually make these fights happen. That's why you don't see the biggest fights.
"F***ing Tyson Fury is afraid to fight [Anthony] Joshua. Tyson Fury is afraid to fight [current unified champion; Oleksandr] Usyk. Why hasn't Gervonta Davis fought Devin Haney? Gervonta and Ryan Garcia? Why aren't these big fights happening? Because one of these parties is scared."
Hall of Fame promoter Lou DiBella took offence at Paul's claims, responding to a fan who claimed that his comment was "spot on". "Spot on?" He asked. "You really think Fury is afraid of fighting anyone? Or that Jake is saving the sport 'single- handedly'. Really?"
What do you make of Jake Paul's comments about boxing being a dying sport? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
And it wasn't just DiBella who was shocked by the social media star's claims. Fans responded on Twitter, with one writer saying "Not true at all, your two fights a year are not saving boxing at all."
Another added that boxing "wasn’t a dying sport," and argued that social media stars have made the sport worse. " Jake Paul made it worse to be honest," they wrote.
"All these other YouTubers wanted that paycheque but forget the risks which makes the sport look bad. Unprofessional [and] are the reason it’s called rigged."
One fan asked "what has him chinning a basketball player done to solve any of that?" Another wrote: "Jake is now trying stand up comedy."
