Jake Paul is well aware of the criticism surrounding his planned boxing match against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Earlier this week, the internet celebrity turned boxer addressed the backlash on social media concerning his upcoming June fight. He is scheduled to face the 39-year-old veteran, whose recent record stands at 3-3 in his last six bouts since 2019, including a loss to former UFC champion Anderson Silva.
Although Chavez held titles earlier in his career, he is widely seen as being significantly past his prime compared to the fighter who suffered a clear defeat to Canelo Alvarez in 2017. However, Paul dismisses these concerns. In fact, Paul contends that his bout with Chavez is directly comparable to a recent, highly publicized fight in the UFC.
“Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is a former world champion, a cruiserweight world champion,” Paul stated. “He’s the same weight and size as me, and he has 20 more years of professional boxing experience. For you inbreds, let’s get the excuses out of the way.
“Last week, Paddy Pimblett defeated Michael Chandler, and everyone reacted strongly, but nobody mentioned Michael Chandler’s age. That`s because he`s still considered in his prime, similar in age to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. If people had no issue with Paddy fighting Chandler, why is there a problem with me fighting Chavez? When I win, don`t use his age as an excuse.”
While it is true that Chandler turned 39 shortly after his fight against Pimblett at UFC 314, it is difficult to genuinely compare his recent career achievements to those of Chavez.
Prior to his loss to Pimblett, Chandler was still ranked within the top 15 of the UFC`s lightweight division, and his previous defeats came only against former champions such as Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, and Charles Oliveira.
This stands in contrast to Chavez, whose most recent victory was a narrow six-round decision over former UFC fighter Uriah Hall, in what was only Hall`s second professional boxing match.
Furthermore, Chavez never actually held a cruiserweight world title during his career. He did challenge for a light heavyweight title in 2015 but was stopped in the ninth round.
It is also publicly known that Chavez has faced personal difficulties outside the ring, including a 2024 arrest related to illegal possession of an assault rifle. Following his arrest, he was admitted to a rehabilitation facility for treatment, having previously been open about struggles with substance abuse.
Despite these factors, Chavez is expected to attempt to perform at a high level when he faces Paul in their scheduled boxing match on June 28th in Anaheim, California, which will be broadcast on DAZN pay-per-view.
