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Jake Paul Returns Sunday

Showtime PPV – Sunday, August 30th – 5 PM PST

Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley, will fight this Sunday on Showtime PPV, in an eight-round cruiserweight bout against former UFC champion Tyron Woodley who is moving up from 170 lbs, up to the 195 lbs or so-odd division of cruiserweight, to face internet sensation turned boxing PPV star, Jake Paul.

Boxing is a niche sport, and what kills it at times, is we don’t really want to grow. We have hardcore fans, who want to have no inclusive conversations about the sport, and when the sport is on full display for the world – we hear more negative than good, in the die-hard boxing circles. To be fair, a former Disney channel star, Jake Paul, who is now one of the most powerful people in the world based on his influence of social media, has sparked a fuse in boxing that we haven’t seen in many years.

Paul has brought back the rivalry of the early 2010s between “the UFC vs boxing” debate, as he is fighting well-known, and smaller ex-UFC and MMA champions, so far made statements in each bout. Paul’s genius is he is polarizing, a person you can’t be in the middle on. You can either appreciate what he is doing, or you will more than likely hate it, and in a world of 24-hour news, and social media content in which you can live in a world of your opinions – Paul is the perfect character to excel at this, as he will always give fodder for chats.

That being said, Paul’s three pro wins are against YouTuber Ali Eson Gib, former NBA slam-dunk champion Nate Robinson, and former Olympian and MMA world champ Ben Askren. The matchmaking has been perfect for his career, and on Sunday we see him against his most interesting bout yet, Tyron Woodley, a former UFC welterweight world champion, making his pro debut as a boxer, at 39-years-old.

Woodley, who left the UFC on a 19-7-1 in MMA, and currently riding a four-fight losing streak, still holds an impressive win, over a great power puncher in Darren Till in 2018, which makes the fight interesting, and compelling. It is safe to say Woodley isn’t what he once was, but Woodley has a good right hand, and a lot of pro experience, and that is what we are tuning in to see if Woodley can land on Paul.

Paul is the modern equivalent of Butterbean, and Kimbo Slice, but unlike those two, Paul has stood up for fighter’s rights, and is becoming a surprising advocate for boxers, which has been needed for years. Paul has propelled himself into one of the biggest draws in boxing with Canelo, Tyson Fury, and Gervonta Davis. Some might snicker as his pedigree and level of competition is not comparable, but in terms of live gate, and revenue – Paul is their equal, and what people often forget is live sports are just as much entertainment as they are result-driven, just ask fighters like Demetrius Andrade and Dimtry Bivol, who are still awaiting big fights despite having the skills to merit it.

Spotlight on Serrano

Veteran broadcaster Todd Grisham would always put Amanda Serrano in the conversation with Katie Taylor, and it took until I saw her on a major telecast on Ring City USA, defeating Daniela Bermudez (which is always weird to type that name since I have an ex with the same name). Serrano who will face Yamileth Mercado will look to defend her WBC and WBO featherweight titles in the co-main event spot on a marquee card.

Outside of Lou DiBella, Matchroom USA, Golden Boy Promotions, Jake Paul is providing a platform for women who box, and that is very cool to see equity in the sport.

For those unaware, Serrano is a 7-division world champion, which means she is a first-ballot hall-of-famer.

Montana Love vs. Ivan Barancyhk, 10 rounds, junior welterweights

Ohio’s own Montana Love, who has an outlandish personality similar to another Ohio resident, Adrien Broner, will face his spiritual opposite in Ivan Barancyhk, a soft-spoken, no-nonsense brute in the ring. The bout embodies what is good about this card, as this could easily have ended up on a ShoBox: The Next Generation card and been a great fight that got overlooked, but now will have more eyes upon it, and should allow the winner to get into a meaningful fight.

Baranchyk won Fight of the Year honors last year in his KO loss to Jose Zepeda, we will see how he bounces back from that.

Daniel Dubois vs. Joe Cusumano, 10 rounds, heavyweights

Daniel Dubois is on the redemption tour after being stopped by Joe Joyce last year, and his second fight back, should be a stoppage win against a heavyweight most haven’t heard of. Dubois is being rebuilt, as I believe his promoters and management team still have high hopes for him to win a world title and create a large profit margin over the next few years.

Dubois needs to make a statement in this fight as it feels like he is losing ground in the division, and could easily be in a crossroads fight if he has a slew of less than stellar performances.

Tommy Fury vs. Anthony Taylor, 6 rounds, cruiserweights, light heavyweights

Tommy Fury, who is related to Tyson Fury, is on the card, as this looks to be a foreshadowing of Jake Paul’s next opponent if both Paul and Fury were to win. The two have already been chirping online, and Fury would fit the archetype of the first “real boxer” Paul would’ve faced in his career.

Taylor is a good MMA fighter, with solid experience spending some time with Kris “Lightning” Lopez at Lightning’s Boxing Club in East Oakland, California, in the past, and has more tools than people will think. For this camp, I don’t believe Taylor trained with Lopez, but Lopez has a son, David, who signed with Mayweather Promotions, is a great trainer.

Charles Conwell vs. Juan Carlos Rubio, 10 rounds, junior middleweights

Who knows where this fight will end up, but Charles Conwell will not be a part of the PPV card which is weird. Conwell is a 2016 Olympian, and is now on his third opponent change for this bout, and has also made headlines for saying he was advised to pull out of a bout earlier this year through the advice of his manager.

Conwell has had a lot on his plate, and distractions don’t help. We don’t address allegations on this page, but we feel for Conwell as he is a young father with a young family, and simply trying to make the most of his career.

Anthony Yarde returns

Anthony Yarde will return against Alex Theran, as Yarde at one-time was seen as an interesting character in the U.K. boxing scene mostly based around his unique mitt routine, now has to avenge a demon in his past, after losing to Lyndon Arthur in his last fight. With a win, a rematch between Arthur and Yarde should happen next in a perfect world, as the bout was dramatic at the end, and merited a rematch.

Club Shows

Costa Mesa

Sacramento, Ca’s Cain Sandoval will turn pro against Lucnor Diserne in four-round lightweight bout. Sandoval is a decorated amateur with over a 100 amateur fights and a pressure style. A lot of people in Northern California are excited about his potential. Sandoval is training with Marcus Caballero in Sacramento for his pro career.

Florida

One of my favorites from the Last Chance Qualifiers, Najee Lopez, a dominant cruiserweight, who recently signed a managerial pact with Tim VanNewhouse, will make his pro debut in Florida this weekend.

Mexico

Veteran Canadian tough guy Steve Claggett will fight Emanuel Lopez in Mexico this weekend. The more interesting tidbit is one of my favorite amateurs in the country, Angel Perez will be fighting on this card. Perez appears to have caught the eye of Eye of the Tiger, as they have been consistently putting the PA-based fighters on their shows in Mexico of late.

Canada

Kim Clavel, a really good fighter, who I would like to see one day fight Seniesa Estrada, will face Maria Soledad Vargas, in a ten-round female junior flyweights.

Mikael Zewski will be in action against Dilan Loza, with a win, Zewski could get an opportunity to spoil a world-ranked fighter.

MMA In 500 Words Or Less

PFL Playoffs 3

After having two of their marquee fighters fight in the last two weeks with Rory MacDonald and Kayla Harrison, PFL will put forth a more sport-like presentation, as none of the names jump off the pages as stars this week as Movlid Khaybulaev faces Brendan Loughnane, and Chris Wade will take on Bubba Jenkins at the top of the card.

UFC

Only the hardcore of hardcore will tune into this week’s UFC card as veteran Edson Barboza faces emerging contender Giga Chikadze, the undercard feature two Ultimate Fighter finale fights, a reality TV show, that has a tournament format that crowns a winner at the end of the season. The other notable fight is Kevin Lee taking on Daniel Rodriguez in a fight that might propel Rodriguez to the next level of his career.

Invicta FC

Invicta is such a cool concept, and one that I have enjoyed, but the sad part is, that the talent they have created and the stars they produce have been mostly pouched by other organizations. The card’s title “A New Era” says it all as Emily Ducote faces Danielle Taylor for the vacant strawweight title.

Invicta is a highly likable promoter, that has been an all-women’s mixed martial arts professional league pioneered by Shannon Knapp, who is paved the way for many with such an ambitious project.