Jake Paul Cruises Past Chávez Jr. in One-Sided Decision, Eyes Bigger Names

By Steven X

Jake Paul added another recognizable name to his boxing resume Saturday night, defeating Julio César Chavez Jr. by unanimous decision at the Honda Center in Anaheim. The social media star-turned-prizefighter controlled the bout from start to finish, winning on the judges’ scorecards 99-91, 97-93, and 98-92.

It was a performance marked by Paul’s consistent jab and Chávez Jr.’s puzzling passivity. The son of Mexican legend Julio César Chavez Sr. offered little offense through most of the 10-round bout, only increasing his activity in the final two rounds. By then, Paul had already banked the early and middle rounds with ease.

“I only got hit 10 times,” Paul said in the ring after the fight. “He just survived. Easy work. I never got hurt. I want tougher fighters. I’m just getting warmed up in this.”

Chávez Jr.’s lackluster effort appeared to frustrate his father, who was seen standing and shouting from ringside. The few clean shots he landed on Paul may offer encouragement to future opponents, but the outcome was never in doubt.

Paul, now 12–1 with 7 knockouts, continues to chart an unconventional path through the sport, building a lucrative brand without relying on traditional boxing power brokers. While top fighters like Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford have aligned with Saudi adviser Turki Alalshikh for major paydays, Paul has created an ecosystem through Most Valuable Promotions.

Following his victory, Paul called out several high-profile names, including Gervonta “Tank” Davis, Anthony Joshua, and Tommy Fury — the only fighter to have defeated him. “Take a number,” Paul said.

He also aimed at Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, who defeated Yuniel Dorticos in the evening’s co-main event. “He was slow as shit,” Paul said of Ramirez’s performance.

Ramirez, the unified WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion, earned a unanimous decision over Dorticos with scores of 117-110, 115-112, and 115-112. The bout was marred by repeated low blows from the Cuban veteran, who was ultimately docked a point in the 10th round.

Though Paul has expressed interest in facing Ramirez, the Mexican champion appears to have other plans, calling out IBF titleholder Jai Opetaia of Australia.

WBA President Gilberto Mendoza indicated after the event that Paul will soon be ranked in the organization’s top 15 at cruiserweight — a threshold that would make him eligible for a title shot. WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman may follow suit.

Paul’s last two wins — over Chávez Jr. and against Mike Tyson, have kept him in the spotlight. His ability to generate interest and revenue has helped him remain relevant, even as questions linger about the quality of his opposition.

Earlier in the evening, lightweight prospect Floyd “Kid Austin” Schofield delivered a stunning first-round knockout over former junior lightweight titleholder Tevin Farmer. Schofield scored three knockdowns in just over a minute before the referee stopped the fight at 1:18 of Round 1.

“I just feel like, with the win, everything is lifted off my shoulders,” Schofield said. The 22-year-old had previously pulled out of a February bout against Shakur Stevenson in Riyadh, with his father alleging he had been poisoned.

“I wanted to quit boxing. I was depressed. Reading the comments got to me,” Schofield said. “It made me feel some way that people would switch up on me for one thing.”

Golden Boy Promotions founder Oscar De La Hoya praised the young fighter’s resilience. “Kid Austin has been through a lot,” he said, adding that Schofield could face the winner of Stevenson-Zepeda, scheduled for July 12 at Ring III in New York.