Is Jake Paul Destroying Boxing’s Legacy with His Controversial "Staged" Fight?

So, Jake Paul steps into the ring again, this time facing Julio César Chávez Jr., and what do we get? A unanimous decision win for Paul—but instead of cheers, the crowd throws a symphony of boos his way. Is Jake really the ‘Problem Child’ boxing fans love to hate, or is he just the unintended villain who’s shaking up the sport, for better or worse? Paul dominated most rounds, yet viewers and critics alike slammed the bout as a lackluster spectacle, questioning if his choice of opponents—mostly older fighters long past their prime—is doing more harm than good to boxing’s legacy. It’s a wild mix of flashy wins, crowd disdain, and a spotlight on the ever-growing debate: Is Jake Paul a game-changer or the guy ‘killing boxing’ one fight at a time? Dive into the drama, the stats, and the scolding critiques—because this story’s got more layers than a knockout punch. LEARN MORE

Jake Paul has been accused of ‘killing boxing’ after winning his lacklustre bout against Julio César Chávez Jr.

The 28-year-old locked gloves with the Mexican boxer last night (28 June) in Anaheim, California, with Paul winning the 10-round cruiserweight battle by unanimous decision.

Paul dominated the majority of the match, with Chávez Jr – who is the son of boxing legend Julio César Chávez Sr – only appearing to muster up any attack during the final rounds. Chávez Jr’s lacklustre performance ultimately saw Paul awarded the win, with scores of 99-91, 97-93, and 98-92.

While Paul may have secured the win on the judges’ scorecards, he wasn’t able to win over viewers, with his victory being followed by a chorus of boos from the crowd – something which the former social media star took in his stride.

Paul won the fight by unanimous decision (Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images)

“All the boos are words, but actions speak louder than words,” Paul said, before motioning to the crowd to ‘shut up’.

“It was flawless. I think I only got hit 10 times. He’s been in with [Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez] and all those guys, and I embarrassed him like that. Easy work.”

Viewers at home also gave their less than kind assessments of the bout, with Piers Morgan slamming the former YouTuber’s sports career as ‘killing boxing’.

“I had a better fight with Jake Paul on Thursday than the unwatchable farce that took place tonight,” the 60-year-old journalist wrote, referring to their public spat earlier in the week.

“The guy’s lining his pockets with buckets of $$$$ – but he’s killing boxing with this boring staged bulls**t against older fighters way past their prime.”

“Why won’t Jake Paul fight someone worth fighting,” questioned another viewer, while a third added: “Jake Paul fights should be boycotted until he fights a professional opponent that isn’t 12 years older, 7 inches shorter, and 80lbs lighter.”

Paul seemed unbothered by the boos (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

This isn’t the first time in which the ability of Paul’s opponents have been questioned, with his previous win being against 58-year-old retired boxing legend Mike Tyson.

According to ESPN, the average age of Paul’s opponents is around 37 years old, with the majority of his bouts being against fighters over the age of 35.

Meanwhile the ‘Problem Child’s’ only professional loss was against 26-year-old Tommy Fury.

Both fighters have dismissed claims of the fight being staged, with Chávez Jr telling The LA Times before the match that he was ‘thoroughly’ preparing to fight Paul.

“We are preparing to the fullest, thoroughly, to arrive better than ever physically, well-focused. We have to be 100 percent for the fight,” he said.

Chávez Jr was the WBC middleweight champion from 2011 to 2012 (Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images)

Paul has also called for tougher opponents, telling DAZN: “I want tougher fighters. I want to be world champion.

“I’m hustling, getting warmed up. You’ve already seen my face hella. Get used to seeing it more.”

LADbible Group has contacted Jake Paul’s representatives for further comment.