Bellator’s light heavyweight and former UFC middleweight title challenger Yoel Romero is no stranger to the boxing world. He comes from an entire family of boxers, and after his fight with Melvin Manhoef this at this weekend’s Bellator event, Romero wants his chance to humble YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
“That same kid, Jake Paul, yes, yes, him. He needs to get humbled, needs to be let known that a true athlete he can’t beat. It doesn’t matter how hard he trains. He can’t beat one.
Yoel Romero Wants To Humble Jake Paul
I’d like to box and fight in boxing. I’d like to do one or two fights in boxing. Seeing myself in a boxing ring would be a great dream of mine.
Like I said in a previous interview, it’d be hitting my dad with a hammer on the head. All my family did boxing, and my dad would’ve loved it. But I’m here and with the possibility of making it a reality, and it would be another of my goals, doing some boxing fights. My dad, my cousins, my brother, yeah. It’s actually the family with the most medals in boxing in Cuba.”
Yoel Romero departed the UFC after his fourth challenge for the UFC middleweight title. He currently fights for Bellator, and in his youth picked up Olympic silver in freestyle wrestling. Although he boasts elite wrestling ability, Yoel Romero’s most lethal skillset as a mixed martial artist is his striking. Primarily fighting out of southpaw stance and using lethal counter-boxing, particularly his pull-back left-handed counter, Romero was able to amass twelve knockout victories in his MMA career.
Jake Paul is set to face another former UFC middleweight in Anderson Silva for his next fight. Anderson Silva is widely regarded as one of the greatest mixed martial artists ever to set foot in the Octagon, and like Romero boasts impressive striking ability. Paul’s current pro boxing record sits at 5-0, and Paul has thus far been able to knock out all of his opponents.
Jake Paul still has yet to box an actual boxer, instead preferring the UFC’s ranks of retirees from weight divisions far below his natural two-hundred pound frame. His last two scheduled bouts, one against Tommy Fury and another against Hasim Rahman, Jr, were cancelled on short notice, leaving Paul inactive since his rematch against Tyron Woodley.
Yoel Romero’s younger brother, Yoan Pablo Hernández, was the IBF cruiserweight champion. Would you watch Romero vs Paul? Let us know in the comments.
