Jake Paul’s proposed fight with Canelo Alvarez fell apart, so we’ve been waiting to hear who the Problem Child would fight next. According to multiple reports, Paul is closing in on an agreement to fight former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Nothing is official, and as we’ve seen in the past, things can change. If Chavez Jr. is the next opponent, it’s a perfect fit for Paul at this stage of his career. I actually named him as a realistic next opponent after Paul fought Mike Tyson in 2024.
Critics won’t like it, and they will all slam it as a trash fight. But somehow, the fight will still do huge numbers even though everyone you talk to will say they’re not interested.
Go figure.
There is no question Chavez Jr. is far past his prime. He could be eyeing this opportunity as a chance to cash in on a massive payday that logically should be out of his reach at this stage of his life.
That’s fine, because if Paul fights him, the YouTuber-turned-boxing needle-mover gets a nearly ideal situation for himself too.
At 39, Chavez is still a good amount older and likely slower than Paul. More than a decade ago, when he probably should have been in his prime, Chavez Jr. struggled to remain focused and disciplined as a fighter.
While he did win a world title, many believe he failed to live up to the lofty expectations that come with being the son of a legend like his father, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. In Chavez Jr’s last fight, he defeated former UFC middleweight, Uriah Hall by unanimous decision in July 2024.
At least he’s been active recently.
As it is, how much of a threat do we expect Chavez Jr. to pose to Paul in 2025? Not much, but likely more than a 58-year-old Mike Tyson. At least, it would seem that way.
Paul’s celebrity and his world-class promotion skills have caused many to want him to accelerate his ascension into tough professional fights. In actuality, he’s still very new to the sport.
At 28, Paul had no amateur career, and he’s had just 12 pro fights. Most of those fights have come against athletes from other sports. While a good number of them have been combat sports athletes, if we’ve learned anything over the past 20 years, we should know all fighting is not the same.
Paul’s only fight against a known active boxer resulted in his only pro loss—a split-decision setback against Tommy Fury in February 2023. The two men have gone back and forth about a rematch, with Paul offering Fury, the younger brother of the legendary Tyson Fury, $4 million to run it back.
With that fight not coming to fruition, Paul needs to pivot. Color this as a prediction rather than news, but I expect him to fight Chavez Jr. next. I also expect Paul to win that fight by unanimous decision—if nothing else, Chavez Jr. has always had a chin.
At that point, I expect Paul will again launch an all-out verbal assault on some of the biggest names in the fight game as he hunts for an opponent who can hopefully carry some portion of the promotional weight.
