Tag: Jake Paul

Jake Paul, Logan Paul reality show will remind you of your own family. Well, sorta.

“Paul American,” starring Jake and Logan Paul, releases new episodes on HBO Max each Thursday.

They fight. They make up.

They laugh. They cry.

They love.

“Paul American,’’ the new reality show starring [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] and [autotag]Logan Paul[/autotag], premieres Thursday night on HBO Max. In many ways, the famous brothers and their family will remind you of your own.

Well, perhaps with the exception of Logan Paul apparently smoking weed with his father, Greg, who carries a hunting knife and muses about blowing up Los Angeles.

Or Jake Paul having a romantic anniversary dinner with his girlfriend, only to leave her at the table and loudly relieve himself nearby.

Season 1 of “Paul American” is eight episodes, with a new episode available to HBO Max subscribers every Thursday. USA TODAY Sports viewed the first four episodes, and at times found the series endearing, entertaining, funny and dull.

The bottom line: If you’re fans of Jake Paul, the 28-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer, and Logan Paul, the 29-year-old YouTuber-turned-pro wrestler, their reality show will be mandatory viewing.

If you’re not fans, however, the show probably won’t change your opinion of them. Although some Paul critics might develop an appreciation, if not affection, for the brothers who rocketed to fame via social media.

Their divorced parents add a nice touch to the show. But “Paul American’’ is at its best when the brothers are interacting with their significant others.

Logan is engaged to Nina Agdal, a Danish model who was on the 50th anniversary cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue in 2014. Jake recently got engaged to Jutta Leerdam, a Dutch speedskater, who clearly adores him but in one scene shows a flash of annoyance as Jake starts hamming it up for the cameras.

 “You’re in your character a lot,’’ Leerdam says. “This is reality, so snap out of it.’’

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Trying to discern how much of this show is “reality” is part of the challenge.

The episode focuses on the Paul brothers pitching the reality show to Hollywood producers while simultaneously engaged in a fight meant to underscore their sibling rivalry. It’s not convincing.

Logan calls Tyson old during a podcast. Jake angrily accuses Logan of undermining the fight. Hostility spikes as they’re trying to sell a reality show!

Reality or “reality?”

Soon enough they reconcile and are pitching the show on a joint phone call and celebrating news that they’ve landed a deal.

It’s some of the least compelling content in the first four episodes. But it’s useful as a means of introducing their parents and their dad’s hunting knife to the TV audience, along with Agdal and Leerdam, who establish themselves as pivotal to the show’s success.

Agdal, for example, has a surprise for Logan. A surprise that should help keep viewers tuned in to episodes 3 and 4, when the series picks up steam.

Dutch speed skater Jutta Leerdam (L), Logan Paul, Pam Stepnick (Paul’s mother) join US YouTuber/boxer Jake Paul (C) as he celebrates winning the heavyweight boxing bout against US retired pro-boxer Mike Tyson at The Pavilion at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, November 15, 2024. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)

‘Paul American’ does pack some surprises

Leerdam says Jake’s a romantic. Outrageous? Well, it appears to be undeniably true, despite his relieving himself near the table during their one-year anniversary dinner.

For years, Jake has ranted that his critics don’t know “the real’’ Jake Paul. This is his chance to present that person.

The show takes us behind the scenes during Jake’s preparation for a fight against Mike Perry on July 20. Perhaps there is a piece of the real Jake, engaged in meditation, breathwork and a spiritual ceremony as the fight approaches.

You might not know the “real” Jake better than the bombastic YouTuber-turned-boxer, but you’ll probably feel like you know him better.

If there’s a sense of true “reality,’’ it’s Leerdam, who comes across as the most authentic person in the show. Although it’s not entirely clear how much Agdal and Jake’s mother, Pam, approve of her. Perhaps that’ll become clearer as the show progresses and the Pauls wrestle with something that feels real.

“Views and followers and subscribers is a very lethal drug,’’ Jake Paul says at one point. “It’s the YouTuber disease. …

“The cameras are always around.”

This story first appeared on USA Today Sports.

ABC statement defines ‘professional boxing’ standards in era of increased influencer fights

The Association of Boxing Commissions addresses the recent surge of modified-standards used in influencer boxing bouts.

The Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports (ABC) on Wednesday issued a statement in which it expressed being “concerned with the definition of a boxing match,” specifically the difference between professional and exhibition fights.

In a day and age where celebrity boxing, catalyzed by the rise of influencers such as Jake Paul and KSI, has become all-time popular, the ABC is asserting what it deems a professional boxing match – and what it does not.

“It is the sense of the Association of Boxing Commissions that, for a pugilistic match to be called ‘professional boxing,’ an event must meet certain criteria that would include minimum medical requirements, round length, judging standards, glove size and weight classifications,” the ABC said in its statement.

“… The term ‘boxer’ means an individual who fights in a professional boxing match and because the ABC, in the published Unified Rules has defined a boxing match as one in which: Each round shall consist of a three (3) minute duration, with a one (1) minute rest period between rounds and because member boxing commissions in the ABC and regulators throughout the world specify minimum medical requirements, drug testing procedures, glove sizes, weight divisions, scoring and age limits, when variations are made such as shortened rounds, non-standard glove sizes and the like, the competition is no longer professional boxing.”

One such example of a professional fight that did not meet the above criteria was last year’s Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match, which was regulated by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) in November.

Paul and Tyson used 14-ounce gloves (rather than the standard 10 ounces for heavyweights) and fought for eight two-minute rounds (rather than the male standard of three-minute rounds.

“The Association of Boxing Commissions believes that regulatory commissions should regulate all combative sports for the safety of the participants, but celebrity feature fights and other events that deviate from true boxing rules should not be referred to as ‘professional boxing,’ the ABC said. “Whether it is called an exhibition or non-conventional fighting, in which no decision is rendered, or a fight where one is determined, unless standard boxing rules are utilized, it is a sham if billed as a professional boxing event. It is fraught with evils such as the risk of mismatches, gambling manipulation and dangers to participants. The term ‘professional boxer’ is one which is held in high esteem for those few athletes who compete in the sweet science and follow all the rules set forth.”

Tuesday’s statement was signed by a ABC president Mike Mazzulli (Mohegan Sun), first vice president Scott Bowler (Utah), past president Brian Dunn (Nebraska), second vice president Matt Schowalter (Minnesota), treasurer Dennis Reno (North Carolina), and secretary Tim Shipman (Florida).

The ABC added that it is not against modified standard bouts taking place but said commissions must do so under an exhibition designation. Mazzulli is regulating the KSI vs. Dillon Danis match on March 29 in Manchester, England, which will be an exhibition – not a professional contest.

“If commissions, sanctioning bodies or promoters are allowed to alter the rules to suit particular weaknesses or strengths of competitors, the integrity that remains in the sport of boxing will be destroyed,” the ABC said. “Promoters claiming that this event needs one-minute rounds, claiming another event needs six-ounce gloves, claiming that other events are only for three rounds, or promoters using only two judges rather than three, or a promoter who wants an event scored on points, not on a 10 point must. None of this means a commission or regulatory body must refuse consideration of the event, but under no circumstances it should be titled ‘professional boxing’ regardless of opponents on the card.”

The ABC’s full statement can be viewed here.

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Jake Paul rips ‘money-hungry squirrel’ Canelo Alvarez for Riyadh Season deal: ‘We had a signed contract’

Jake Paul responded to Canelo Alvarez’s claim that he doesn’t fight Youtubers by showing a signed contract and fight poster.

The [autotag]Canelo Alvarez[/autotag] and [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] saga continues to heat up.

Alvarez and Paul were reportedly in the late stages of planning a boxing fight to take place May 3 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. However, Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Alalshikh got a hold of Alvarez, landing a four-fight deal with the boxing superstar.

The late shift sparked backlash from Paul and his Most Valuable Promotions team, claiming Alvarez ducked the fight. Paul labeled him an “owned slave.”

Alvarez sent a video message to his fans, telling them to ignore Paul.

“Hey guys, don’t pay attention at anything from this f*cking Youtuber,” Alvarez said in a video posted to social media by Ring Magazine. “I just fight real fighters. No f*cking around with Canelo. Come on, let’s go.”

Moments after, Paul posted a video reply of his own, addressing the entire situation surrounding the proposed fight while ripping Alvarez’s business decisions and questioning his loyalty. In the video, Paul included photos of a signed contract and a fight poster that was to be released next week along with an official announcement.

“Oh, Canelo, you puta. Time to expose him,” Paul said in a video posted to Instagram. “So, we had a signed contract to fight. Here, you can see Canelo’s signature and my signature to the right. Claiming he’s not fighting Youtubers? Bullsh*t. Look at the poster. We were announcing Tuesday, Feb. 11. Claiming he fights real fighters, but he fighting Crawford, a 135-pound fighter, and running from a real fighter like David Benavidez, you b*tch.

“The truth is, you can be bought. You’re a money-hungry squirrel chasing your next nut. The truth is, the sportswashing shady characters are paying you hundreds of millions of dollars to stop our fight from happening because they couldn’t fathom the fact that they can’t create a bigger fight than me and you. Al Haymon has made you hundreds of millions of dollars, and you turned your back on him for this check. Disloyal. And you were begging to do this fight on pay-per-view, but I have loyalty. Loyalty to Netflix, doing the biggest numbers. You call me a Youtuber, but you’ve never had a boxing match as big as mine.”

Paul continued:

“Remember you told my team that your daughter came home and asked if you were fighting Jake Paul? She was all excited. You said that was the first time your daughter’s ever asked you about a fight. You’re screwing over all your Mexican fans by doing your fights in Saudi. It just shows what type of person you are. And I promise you one thing Canelo: any fight that you do this year, mine will be bigger. So, go f*ck off to your boss, you Ring Magazine employee. You pink and orange b*tch. And oh, fix that herpe on your lip you dirty puta.”

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFy4egZR2xG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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Jake Paul: ‘Owned slave’ Canelo Alvarez ducked Cinco de Mayo fight in Vegas for Riyadh Season deal

The fallout from Thursday’s major, and apparently final, twist on a short boxing roller coaster ride likely only is just beginning.

The fallout from Thursday’s 11th-hour major, and apparently final, twist on a short boxing roller coaster ride likely only is just beginning.

Former YouTuber [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag], who for the past few years has been arguably the biggest name in boxing, reportedly was about to announce a blockbuster fight on Netflix against [autotag]Canelo Alvarez[/autotag] – until a deal was announced between Alvarez and Riyadh Season in Saudi Arabia.

Paul on Friday said Alvarez ducked a fight with him and insinuated that he acted only for money and ignored other variables. Those variables, Paul’s MVP Promotions said in a news release, would have included a fight vs. Paul for Alvarez on Cinco de Mayo weekend in Las Vegas.

MVP’s statement also suggested some reporting of Paul and Alvarez news has been less than forthcoming in terms of journalistic credibility.

Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, said Alvarez’s deal is for four fights. Alvarez, 34, is the current WBC and WBO super middleweight champion at 168 pounds. In his most recent appearance this past September, Alvarez dominated Edgar Berlanga by unanimous decision to retain his titles.

Alvarez is expected to box in Saudi Arabia in May in the first fight on the deal, then fight super welterweight champion Terence Crawford in September at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

“Breaking news: Canelo Alvarez ducked me, Jake Paul, and is now an owned slave with no regard for the pride of the Mexican people who support him on US soil,” Paul posted on social media. “It’s not surprising when his whole career he has done nothing for the sport of boxing outside the ring.

“I’m the new face of boxing. You cannot have the biggest fight of 2025 without my name involved. When all of your events tank and lose money you will all realize who the king of the sport is. 28 years old. Biggest fight in boxing history. My own boss. Not owned. 5 years in. All of you felines want to see me fail, but God has other plans. It’s the era of good. The era of the elephant. It’s the era of MVP. @mostvaluablepromotions”

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFxvOSmRmQ9/?igsh=c243aGx4bnJuaXE5

MVP’s full statement on the Alvarez news:

“MVP was deep in negotiations for a blockbuster fight between Jake Paul and Canelo Alvarez on Cinco de Mayo weekend in Las Vegas, a massive event for the Mexican, Puerto Rican and American fans, and it’s disappointing to see how the situation unfolded. MVP operates with integrity, transparency, and respect for the sport, its athletes and the fans. Unfortunately, not everyone in the boxing world shares those values.

“This situation is a reminder not to believe everything you read, especially when the current media environment is often controlled by those with hidden agendas, including promoters who have reporters on their payroll. We remain in active discussions with multiple high-profile opponents and are committed to delivering the biggest fights, the most exciting events, and to working with partners who share our values and our commitment to boxing and its fighters.

“Jake Paul isn’t going anywhere, and neither is MVP. We’ll continue to disrupt boxing, on our terms.”

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Canelo Alvarez signs four-fight deal with Riyadh Season, nixing Jake Paul bout

Turki Alalshikh has stolen Canelo Alvarez out of the hands of a Jake Paul fight in the form of a four-fight deal with Riyadh Season.

Turki Alalshikh has gotten [autotag]Canelo Alvarez[/autotag] on board.

Late Thursday, a report from ESPN emerged claiming Alvarez and [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] were finalizing a deal to box May 3 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in a cruiserweight bout expected to stream on Netflix.

However, in an 11th-hour swerve, Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, announced Alvarez has instead signed a four-fight deal with Riyadh Season. The deal is expected to have Alvarez box in Saudi Arabia in May, then take on super welterweight champion Terence Crawford in September at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Alalshikh hinted at Alvarez vs. Crawford happening in September by calling it “the biggest fight in the history of boxing.”

Alvarez, 34, is the current WBC and WBO super middleweight champion at 168 pounds. In his most recent appearance this past September, Alvarez dominated Edgar Berlanga by unanimous decision to retain his titles.

Crawford never has weighed in at more than 153 pounds, which came in his most recent outing, a unanimous decision win over Israil Madrimov to become a four-weight world champion.

Paul has yet to comment on the showdown with Alvarez failing to come to fruition after subsequent reports from ESPN indicated it was on the “1-yard line” from being done.

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Report: Canelo Alvarez, Jake Paul finalizing deal for boxing fight in Las Vegas

According to a report, Jake Paul is in the final stages of securing a fight against boxing’s biggest star, Canelo Alvarez.

(This story has been updated to a new version with the latest Canelo Alvarez fight news.)

[autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] may have pulled off the impossible to land a fight against [autotag]Canelo Alvarez[/autotag].

As many times as the Youtuber-turned-boxer has called out one of the best boxers on the planet, Paul’s dream matchup has apparently become a reality. Throughout his pro boxing journey, many have called for Paul to fight a big name boxer in their prime. Well, it doesn’t get any bigger than Alvarez.

According to a report from ESPN’s Mike Coppinger, Paul and Alvarez are finalizing a deal to box on May 3, 2025, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The fight will take place at the cruiserweight limit of 200 pounds. The spectacle is expected to broadcast live on Netflix.

Alvarez, 34, is the current WBC and WBO super middleweight champion at 168 pounds. In his last appearance in September, Alvarez dominated Edgar Berlanga by unanimous decision to retain his titles.

Alvarez was recently linked to a massive blockbuster fight against super welterweight champion and arguably boxing’s pound-for-pound best, Terence Crawford. Despite the name value, it was a curious matchup due to the size difference as Crawford has never weighed in at more than 153 pounds.

However, Ring Magazine reported Wednesday the fight planned for September in Las Vegas was off. Now Alvarez is facing a showdown with an even more unlikely opponent.

Paul, 28, is coming off a huge event against 58-year-old boxing legend Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The fight was the first live sporting event on Netflix, and sold just shy of 60,000 tickets, generating $18.1 million. Paul’s unanimous decision victory was his fifth straight win.

Paul has been calling out Alvarez for years, and finally has the boxing star’s attention.

Prior to fighting Tyson, Paul said he he would make Canelo his next target.

“Canelo is on his way out,” Paul said on the “TimboSugarShow podcast.” “He’s going to want a payday, and I want to show the world that all the sh*t I’ve been talking about beating Canelo is actually true.”

During the post-fight press conference following the Tyson fight, Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions spoke about the possiblity of a fight with Alvarez when asked about a potential fight against former UFC champion Conor McGregor.

“We believe Canelo would do a cruiserweight fight,” Bidarian said. “There’s no way Conor does a cruiserweight fight with Jake Paul.”

The Youtuber began his pro boxing career in 2020, and has rapidly become one of boxing’s biggest draws, despite fighting against mediocre boxing competition. Paul generated focus by taking on former NBA player Nate Robinson, and then turned his attention to taking out former MMA champions such as Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva. The lone loss on his professional record came by split decision against Tommy Fury, brother of retired former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

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Jake Paul and Logan Paul announce reality show instead of boxing match

The Paul brothers’ hype poster turned out to be a promotion for a new reality show rather than a boxing fight.

[autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] and [autotag]Logan Paul[/autotag] ended speculation that they’ll be squaring off in the boxing ring.

The brothers on Thursday announced they’ll be launching a family reality show, “Paul American”’ starting March 27 on HBO Max.

The Pauls opened an appearance on Instagram live with combative talk that culminated with a shoving match. But the grimaces melted into fake crying and smiles as they revealed the details of their announcement.

“Guys, everything we said besides beating each other’s ass is true, and maybe we’ll do that one day,” Logan Paul said. “But today, this is something we’ve waited our whole lives for, our entire lives.”

On Tuesday, a post from the Pauls on X, formerly Twitter, showed them facing off in an image that stirred talk of a possible boxing match.

A prospective fight between Logan Paul and Conor McGregor has yet to materialize and Jake Paul has not announced his next fight since beating Mike Tyson by unanimous decision Nov. 15.

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PFL ambassador Jake Paul declares MMA is ‘becoming a sh*ttier version of boxing’

It appears Jake Paul’s interest in MMA – either as a business venture or competing – is fading fast.

Are we sure [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] still has a vested interest in the PFL? You might be hard-pressed to believe so after he shared some unflattering thoughts about mixed martial arts as a sport compared to boxing.

In an interview with All the Smoke Fight released Wednesday, Paul, a YouTuber-turned-professional boxer, spelled out how boxing continues to grow while MMA experiences a downswing because, in his words, it’s “becoming a sh*ttier version of boxing.”

“MMA is not what it was. That’s the truth of the matter,” Paul said. “Boxing is bigger than ever. The biggest sporting event of the year in 2024 was boxing (his fight with Mike Tyson) whereas MMA is becoming a sh*ttier version of boxing essentially.”

While Paul, for better or worse, has become one of the faces of boxing in the past few years, his words are curious considering he signed a contract with the PFL in January 2023, which made him a partner in the MMA promotion. As recently as last October, Paul took part in promoting the PFL’s “Battle of the Giants” pay-per-view headlined by Francis Ngannou’s highly anticipated return against Renan Ferreira.

Paul’s interest in MMA – either as a business venture or competing, which he’s teased in the past – could be fading as he views the sport in an apparently negative light.

“It’s kickboxing,” Paul said. “Because everyone is getting good takedown defense, and everyone is a black belt in jiu-jitsu, so there’s no more submissions really. There’s not a lot of takedowns – and even if there is, it’s fu*cking boring. But everyone is good at takedown defense, so it’s literally kickboxing.

“Guess who the biggest start of the sport is in MMA? Alex Pereira, who’s a kickboxer. He’s knocking everyone out. And he’s the best one because no one can take him down, no one can submit him, so he’s just knocking everybody out. But the UFC has less significant strikes per round (than boxing), and that’s with 5-minute rounds. So boxing is going to stand the test of time, because it has since the 1500s. Six hundred years of boxing. I’m not long on MMA because it’s becoming boxing.”

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Why the Jake Paul and Logan Paul ‘fight’ may not be a boxing match

There are quite a few reasons to believe the “fight” between the Paul brothers won’t be an actual fight.

Jake Paul and Logan Paul captured the internet’s attention on Tuesday when the pair teased what, at least on its face, appears to be a fight between the two.

The event is scheduled for March 27 and will stream on Max. Both Paul brothers posted graphics for the supposed fight, leading many to believe they will truly face off in the ring this spring.

However, there are quite a few reasons to be skeptical that this “fight” will actually be a fight.

To start, neither brother mentions an actual fight in the posts. Both posted identical captions, which read “The moment you’ve waited a decade for.”

While that’s the first clue that this event may be something other than a boxing match, there are other indicators, as well.

According to a report from USA TODAY’s Josh Peter, a fight between the Pauls hasn’t been listed on BoxRec, a database that charts both sanctioned professional and amateur fights. However, it does not list exhibitions.

Per Peter’s report, more information about the event is expected on Thursday. Neither Warner Bros. Discovery or Jake Paul’s MVP promotions put out a press release along with the brothers’ announcements.

Max, which did repost both announcements on social media, did not respond to a request for comment from Awful Announcing regarding whether there will be a fight between the Pauls.

There are also logical reasons to think this may not actually be a fight. As Awful Announcing’s Ben Axelrod points out, Jake is a much more experienced fighter and typically weighs 30 pounds heavier than Logan.

Logan Paul is also expected to take part in WWE’s WrestleMania 41 in April, calling into question whether he could promote the event while also preparing for a boxing match.

As it stands now, it seems there will be some sort of event featuring the Paul brothers on March 27 that will stream on Max. But there are quite a few hints that it isn’t going to be a boxing match, as everyone hoped.