As he gets ready for his boxing match against Darren Stewart at Misfits Boxing 21 this Friday, former UFC title contender Darren Till is keeping an eye on potential future opponents. Among them is Jake Paul, who is set to face Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in June.
While many fighters are eager to face Paul because of the fame and financial rewards, Till has a slightly different connection to the situation. He was actually scheduled to fight Chavez himself back in 2024. This bout was planned for the same Netflix event that was supposed to feature Paul versus Mike Tyson, but Tyson`s illness led to the event being delayed, and Till’s fight against Chavez was never rescheduled.
Now that Paul is stepping in to fight Chavez, Till admits he feels conflicted about predicting a winner.
“Chavez should beat him but I don’t know,” Till commented. “Jake just keeps winning so is Jake that good? Like we all keep saying he’s shit.”
He added, “I can’t even give an opinion. Chavez should probably win, but I don’t know. Jake’s going to win. There’s something going on in the background that we all don’t know about.”
Out of Paul’s 12 professional boxing matches, he has primarily fought and defeated MMA fighters like Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva, and Nate Diaz, with only a few opponents having significant boxing backgrounds. His single loss came in a very close decision against Tommy Fury. Interestingly, Fury was also a fighter Till was scheduled to face, before the reality star cancelled the fight reportedly over worries about Till using MMA techniques in the boxing ring.
Setting aside the bout against the 58-year-old Mike Tyson last November, Chavez likely represents the most seasoned professional boxer Paul has gone up against. Regardless of the fight`s outcome, Till stated he is growing tired of the constant, repetitive criticisms directed at Paul’s career in combat sports.
Till directly pushed back against the prevalent narrative. “For starters, let’s all just stop being dummies for a second and take out the narrative that Jake Paul’s not a fighter or a boxer,” Till urged. “He’s been boxing for years now. He’s been boxing for years with a fully equipped team around him 24/7. Jake Paul is a fighter. He’s a boxer. He’s a fighter. OK, yeah, he’s lacking in this or that, does he like getting hit? Maybe whatever, but he’s a f*cking fighter. So this narrative needs to go away.”
Till suggested that a major reason this insult is constantly thrown at Paul is because potential opponents are desperate for his attention. He feels that claiming Paul isn`t a real fighter, and would be an easy win, is the simplest strategy to provoke him into a fight.
However, Till stated he understands Paul`s capabilities better than to underestimate him. While he is definitely interested in a fight with Paul himself, he doesn`t intend to use the same predictable approach to get the matchup.
“Look I get it, you fight Jake Paul you get a lot of money,” Till acknowledged. “You are begging, everyone’s just begging for this fight. I’ve said yeah, I’d love to fight Jake Paul, but I’m not begging him. Jake doesn’t want to fight me, trust me, I’m good. Trust me, I’m all right.”
He continued, “Love to fight him, love to make a bit of money, yeah that’s sound but I don’t lose sleep like all these guys are begging for it. I’m whatever. He’s f*cking winning so what do you want?”
Till brings considerable name recognition to his fights, but he understands that against Paul, he would likely be the secondary attraction. He stated he is completely fine with this reality.
In fact, Till openly admitted that Paul holds the advantage in almost every comparison point, except for the moment they actually step into the ring together.
Humorously discussing the dynamics, Till said, “If I’m fighting Jake Paul, I’m not going to sit there and have a c*ck off like who’s got more money? Jake Paul’s got more money than me! I’m not going to be like ‘I’m the ‘A’ side.’ Jake Paul’s the ‘A’ side. He wins in every department. The only department I know I win is in the fight. I’m all right with that. That’s sound.”
He explained his realistic perspective: “If he wants to sit there and say whatever, with all these other guys they bite. If Jake Paul sat there with me and was like ‘I want to make a bet.’ I’d be like, Jake, I’m going to stop you there my friend, I can’t make bets with you, because I don’t have the money you have. So take your bet, take your money and shove it up your ass. I’m a realist. It’s like me sitting there with Conor McGregor and having a c*ck off with him. Who’s got the most money? I’m not really asked who’s got more money. I’ll just punch all your heads in, how about that?”
If Till emerges victorious against Stewart on Friday`s card, aired on DAZN, he might issue a callout. However, don`t expect him to be desperately seeking Paul`s attention.
“Jake Paul’s the ‘A’ side,” Till reiterated. “Would love to fight him. Would love that fight. If I don’t get that fight, so f*cking what? I’m not really that bothered, to be honest with you.”
