On Sunday night Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley gave us exactly what we thought it would.
Nothing new.
There were no lessons learned as we saw what was expected.
Jake Paul is a social media star who leveraged his popularity, bumrushed boxing, and is now, unquestionably, the prince of boxing entertainment. His PPV numbers, social media hype, and fans in attendance support that claim.
He now has credible, long-time boxing journalists and publishers covering his fights.
To top it all off, his Twitter bio now reads “the face of the fight game.”
For those angry at his rise to fame and are looking for someone to blame, look no further than boxing itself.
The politics, egos, and segmentation of boxing enabled Paul to sneak in the back door and open up the sport to new fans.
True fans of pugilism recognize Paul’s massive shortcomings as a real fighter. He’s nowhere near the level of a pro fighter let alone an amateur.
But aside from not buying his fights, dwelling in their frustration is about all that they can do.
I am one of those fans.
I haven’t and won’t purchase his fights. My love for boxing and appreciation of the sport’s true artists prevents me from doing so.
Plus, I’m not spending money on watching something that continues to be more of the same.
Last night’s 8 round fight manifests this.
Continue reading over at First and Pen.
