Jake Paul favored in first fight against professional boxer

Two and a half years after his professional boxing debut, Jake Paul will face his first professional boxer in the ring.
With a record of 5-0, YouTuber Jake Paul has struggled to gain credibility in the boxing world, largely due to the nature of his opponents—other YouTubers and athletes, not boxers.

Now, however, with the cancellation of his scheduled fight against Tommy Fury, younger brother of world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, Jake Paul faces his first real fighter.

And somewhat surprisingly, he’s billed to win the fight.

Tale of the tape so far

Paul’s boxing career began in earnest in January 2020, before which he’d only ever engaged in a handful of amateur fights.
His debut was against YouTuber AnEsonGib, who he successfully defeated through a first round TKO. Following this, Paul fought pro basketball player Nate Robinson, again picking up a win in the second round through KO. Another TKO victory against former MMA champion Ben Askren followed, before two matches against former UFC champion Tyron Woodley, both of which Paul won, one through split decision, and the other through a sixth round knockout.

Through out his short career, Jake Paul has been marked by his sheer confidence, repeatedly calling out world renowned UFC star Connor McGregor for a fight. However, many critics have been drawn, alluding to the fact that Paul is yet to fight a professional boxer, or even an athlete in their prime.

Tommy Fury withdrawal leads to first pro encounter

Prior to Paul’s first fight against Tyron Woodley, the YouTuber was slated to fight younger brother of Tyson Fury, Tommy Fury.
However, Fury withdrew from this match due to medical issues, with a new date fixed for August. Just last week, however, Fury was forced to withdraw from the upcoming fight as well, courtesy of travel-related issues.

The withdrawal of Tommy Fury left Jake Paul without an opponent for his early August slot, until Hasim Rahman Jr. stepped up to the plate. Son of former champion Hasim Rahman, Rahman Jr. is the first professional boxer Paul will have faced, with a record of 12-6 including six knockouts.

Hasim Rahman Jr. has fronted to the press, stating that Jake Paul is “making the biggest mistake of his career” by agreeing to fight him, explaining that “he was a tutor to this man” in a reference to their previous spars together.

Odds for Paul vs. Rahman Jr

The fight between Jake Paul and Hasim Rahman Jr. is set for August 6 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Courtesy of his most recent defeat, Hasim Rahman Jr. enters the fight a significant underdog.

Bookies have Jake Paul as a -250 favorite to win the fight, with Rahman at +175. That’s a 71% chance that Paul wins the fight, despite never having faced a professional boxer before in his life.

Clearly the odds-makers have faith in Paul’s track record to date, and aren’t phased by his lack of professional experience to date.