When Tyron Woodley steps into the boxing ring later this month, he’ll be unpleasantly surprised by Jake Paul. That’s according to Bellator and Strikeforce fighter Gegard Mousasi, who isn’t impressed by Tyron Woodley’s credentials.
Mousasi told MMAFighting.com that he doesn’t expect much, if anything, from Tyron Woodley inside the boxing ring. When asked if Woodley will defeat Paul, he said:
“I don’t know why people think he can box”: Gegard Mousasi does NOT See Paul Fight Going Well for Tyron Woodley
“To be honest, no. You know, Tyron Woodley is 40, he has lost all of his [recent] fights. They chose him because he’s a short guy, he’s not a boxer. I don’t know why people think he can box.
Who said Tyron Woodley is a boxer? He has one right hand with a small glove. One-hundred percent, it’s not going to go well for him.
But it’s going to make money and I wish him well, and I don’t have anything against Tyron Woodley. But let’s be honest, they didn’t choose him because he’s going [win]. Jake Paul chose him because he thinks he’s beatable.
Nothing against Tyron Woodley.” Mousasi may have a point here. Jake Paul isn’t going to risk brain damage or his fledgling reputation fighting an actual boxer or someone his own size.
He’d much rather take on 170lb UFC fighters, particularly those in retirement, to stack his record before eventually trying a real boxer. Mixed martial arts and boxing are related, but at this stage of the game they’re fundamentally different sports, and Jake Paul clearly prefers fighting mixed martial artists on the downswing of their careers to taking on a serious challenger in the boxing ring.
The tradition of padding a new fighter’s record with “tomato cans” is nothing new, but applying the concept to a YouTube personality who gets to make millions in the process certainly is.
When asked if he’d consider a similar bout, Mousasi was quick to respond. “I would. Why not?
Because he brings a lot of attention and he does promote it well. People don’t like him, but I think he’s a decent boxer and he brings a lot of viewers.
So it’s entertainment. This fighting business is entertainment. This is not the Olympics where it’s all for sport.
At the Olympics if you win gold, you get $30,000. At least this is entertainment, you get paid much better.
This is, first, entertainment, and then it’s sport. So yeah, Jake Paul is a good thing, I think, and they’re doing well.”
Do you think Tyron Woodley is going down against Jake Paul? Let us know in the comments.
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