The year 2025 looked to be drawing to a quiet close in the boxing world, with very few genuine superfights scheduled between now and the New Year. Then, the world was turned on its head.
On November 17th, the controversial Jake Paul stunned fans the world over as he announced he had agreed a deal to fight former two-time world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in an eight-round professional heavyweight bout taking place the week before Christmas. The Problem Child, who has made his name beating on veterans well out of their prime and faded MMA superstars, will not only be facing one of the greatest boxers of his generation in his prime, but he will also be doing so in a new weight class after previously campaigning as a cruiserweight.
Critics Give Jake His Props
From being criticized left, right, and center throughout his five-year career, Paul is now coming in for unusual compliments, primarily on the size of his grapefruits, due to the size of the monumental challenge that he now faces. The critics have instead been circling AJ, especially in the UK, feeling that a fight with Paul casts a shadow over his legacy, especially with new challengers rising in the form of Moses Itauma and Fabio Wardley.
The criticism being leveled at him, however, is unwarranted, especially considering the fact that Joshua was scheduled to face a lesser name, lower-ranked opponent anyway, for a fraction of the cash he will now receive for facing Paul. And, as well as that, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist will also be fighting arguably the easiest opponent of his career, on paper.
Online betting sites certainly agree. The early boxing lines Bovada currently lists AJ as an incredibly short -1000 to win, a price that some think is still too long. Paul, meanwhile, is a +625 outsider.
Over the years, many a cruiserweight has made the move up to heavyweight and gone on to have incredible success. Admittedly, all of them had far more pedigree than Paul, winning world titles at cruiserweight before going on to boxing‘s glamour division. Still, here are two such fighters Jake Paul should look towards for inspiration as he prepares for his very own David vs Goliath battle.
Oleksandr Usyk
Before Oleksandr Usyk was a two-time undisputed world heavyweight champion, the Ukrainian technician first campaigned at cruiserweight. After amassing a monstrous 335−15 record as an amateur, even claiming an Olympic gold medal at London 2012, Usyk turned professional at the relatively late age of 26. There, he initially campaigned as a cruiserweight, and he was immediately thrust into the limelight.
Rather than building himself up, Usyk immediately jumped into the deep end. He became WBO champion in just his tenth fight before going on to clear out the cruiserweight division by winning the World Boxing Super Series. He defeated Marco Huck, Mairis Briedis, and finally Murat Gassiev to become the undisputed champion, before knocking out Britain’s Tony Bellew to defend the gold.
After the vicious knockout of the Bomber, Usyk moved up to heavyweight, and after victories against Chazz Witherspoon and Dereck Chisora, he was immediately thrust into the title picture. The Ukrainian twice faced and defeated Anthony Joshua, first to become the unified heavyweight champion and then to defend his straps. He would then go on to beat Tyson Fury and Daniel Dubois to become undisputed champion and arguably the finest fighter of his generation.
All of these achievements were completed despite being somewhat undersized next to the man-mountains of Joshua and Fury. While Usyk is a far better boxer than Jake Paul can ever dream of being, there are certainly some moments in these victories against the titans of the division that the young American can focus on in the hopes of somehow finding a way to shock the world.
David Haye
Britain’s David Haye was the original cruiserweight to heavyweight trailblazer. A decade before Usyk’s rise to stardom, the Hayemaker was the man trying to rattle a heavyweight division run by the Klitschko brothers. But firstly, he set about handling business at cruiserweight,
Haye built up a steady record of 19-1 before getting his maiden title shot, and what a tough challenge it was. The Brit was tasked with heading into the lion’s den, facing France’s unified WBA, WBC, and The Ring Magazine champion in Paris. The hard-hitting Londoner was a huge underdog, but he managed to emerge victorious, delivering a brutal seventh-round knockout that left the City of Lights silenced.
After that, Haye would embark upon a battle of Britain clash with Enzo Maccarinelli, knocking out the Welshman in London to add the WBO title to the haul he already owned, officially becoming undisputed champion. Then, the heavyweight division beckoned.
After beating Monte Barrett in his divisional debut, Haye embarked upon his own David vs Goliath, similar to the one Paul will face when he battles AJ. The Brit faced off against seven-foot Russian giant Nikolai Valuev for the WBA heavyweight title, and in a spectacular display of sniping from long range, Haye pulled off the upset victory.
Haye would defend his title twice before facing his biggest challenge yet, the fearsome Wladimir Klitschko. Unlike Usyk, the Hayemaker was unable to fully claim the heavyweight division for himself, losing a wide unanimous decision to Dr. Steelhammer in Hamburg and never competing for a world title again.
