JAKE PAUL is armed with three key advantages that could take him to the top of boxing against all odds.
The social media sensation left behind a full-time career as a YouTube vlog to try dedicated his life to becoming a boxing star.
And in the four years since his professional debut in 2020, Paul become one of the highest paid boxers in the world.
But more than just money, the American is convinced that one day he will win the world championship belt – despite his lack of experience.
Paul has been doing the right things by steadily increasing his competition and investing millions in his training camps, away from the cameras.
His only defeat in ten fights was against Tommy Fury, 25, in February 2023 and his opponents have changed from low-level boxers to MMA stars since then.
But behind the scenes, Paul is working and recruiting high-level sparring partners and coaches.
For these reasons – in addition to being able to fight whenever you want – Paul is being tipped to make surprising advances in the sport.
Steve Geffrard is a 21-3 former world light heavyweight champion who has been fighting Paul this year.
And Geffrard told SunSport: “He’s a late bloomer to the sport but he takes it very, very seriously.
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“And on top of that, he has really good athletic ability. So he’s a great athlete. I think he has three things that can really help him go far.
“One; his work ethic, his excellent work ethic and two more; he has resources, so he can afford the best coaches, the best sparring, the best strength conditioning.
“He has physiotherapists who are with him 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, people working on his body, it’s good for longevity. And he can also fight whenever he wants. There are world champions who can’t do that.”
Paul, 27, last fought in March when he defeated Ryan Bourland, 36, 17-2.
That’s when Geffrard, 33, was first brought to Paul’s training camp in Puerto Rico and was impressed by the reformed prankster.
He said: “I’ve been in camps with a lot of champions and top fighters and stuff and I’ve been boxing all my life.
“I’ve seen people with less ability than him get there and at least compete for a world title.
“This is boxing, anything can happen. You cannot exclude anyone.
“He’s tough, he’s got good hand speed, good speed, the sky’s the limit for him, we just have to see how far he really wants to go.
‘He could seriously hurt one of these guys’
“The way he’s training, I think he wants to go out there and fight for a regional belt and possibly a world title one day.
“It’s gonna be hard. It will not be easy. But at least when he’s training, I see what his mentality is.
“He’s not going to train just to think, ‘OK, I’m an influencer boxer.’
“He is training to try to compete against the best, although he has not chosen that type of opponent yet.
“I think that’s really what he wants to be. Because he’s spending all this money and training these guys who do top notch work in the gym. He’s trying to get better.”
Paulo returns at the weekend against former UFC star and now boxer Mike Perry, 32.
It was supposed to be against Mike Tyson until the heavyweight icon, 58, withdrew amid a health scare with the fight postponed until November 15th.
Perry will be Paul’s fifth MMA opponent – a level of opposition that Geffrard believes he has surpassed.
The way he’s training, I think he wants to go out there and fight for a regional belt and possibly a world title one day.
Jake Paul’s training partner Steve Geffrard
He said: “Jake has to fight these types of people because of their names, that’s what brings attraction.
“But I think he’s already passed that level. I think he got to the point where he could seriously hurt one of these guys.
“That’s my opinion and that’s practically a compliment, praising him because I think now he can move on and start fighting other boxers, legitimate boxers.
“I’m not saying he can fight for the world title right away. But I think he’s good enough that he doesn’t need to fight a former UFC fighter.
“I think he has improved a lot more and has good power. Even if you are a very experienced fighter, you can’t go in there and just sleep on top of him because he has enough power to hurt you.
“You still need to be – even though he doesn’t have as much experience – you still need to be aware of your Ps and Qs. He’s a dog.”
Geffrard was training with Paul before his return and does not expect Perry to see the scheduled eighth and final round.
He predicted: “I expect a knockout.
“As long as he doesn’t go looking, I think it will happen, maybe around four, maybe in the second half of the fight.”
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