Jake Paul’s next opponent has been revealed, and it’s not an unknown boxer, converted UFC fighter, or a 58-year-old battling an ulcer problem.
Rather, the erstwhile YouTube and Disney star will be boxing Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at cruiserweight this summer, according to Ring Magazine’s Mike Coppinger. And while a media partner has yet to be announced, the fight will not be on Netflix, like Paul’s widely criticized 2024 victory over a painfully over-the-hill Mike Tyson.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions for confirmation.
Chavez is, of course, the son and namesake of the Mexican boxing icon, who won 107 of 115 fights between 1980 and 2005. But while he never matched the success of his Hall-of-Fame father, who shares a record with Omar Narvaez for 27 successful title defenses, the younger Chavez was a middleweight title holder in 2011 and 2012.
In fact, Chavez was 46-0-1 in June of 2012, before dropping six of his next 14 bouts between September of 2012 and July of 2024. Many of the losses came to some of the best in boxing, like Canelo Alvarez, Sergio Martinez and Daniel Jacobs. However, he also fell to a converted UFC fighter in Anderson Silva after missing weight for their 2021 bout.
Chavez did return to the ring on a Paul undercard in 2024, beating 40-year-old Uriah Hall by unanimous decision.
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Jake Paul speaks during the Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano Press Conference at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on April 9
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Julio Cesar Chavez Jr punches Uriah Hall during their fight at Amalie Arena on July 20
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Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. poses with his Hall-of-Fame father before a 2005 bout in Atlantic City
Paul beat Mike Perry by TKO that night in a tune-up for his eight-round bout with Tyson in November.
He’s since been linked with various bouts since, from long-term nemesis KSI to Gervonta Davis and former opponent Tommy Fury – the only man to have beaten him – but he came closest to stepping in the ring with Canelo.
In February, it was confirmed that the Mexican superstar had agreed on a four-fight deal with Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season, with his new deal to include a mega-fight against the former undisputed light-welterweight and welterweight champion Terence Crawford in September.
Previously, it was understood that Alvarez and Paul were close to finalizing their crossover fight, but Alvarez will now face William Scull in May instead.
‘The reality is we spent a lot of time with Al Hayman and PBC trying to make the Canelo fight happen and we want to be supportive of what they’re doing across the board,’ Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions partner Nakisa Bidarian told The Sun.
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Mike Tyson was defeated by Jake Paul during a widely criticized eight-round bout in Dallas
Bidarian added: ‘We’re actively working on putting together Jake’s fight for this summer. And we’ll announce it as soon as we’re ready.
‘And then we’re actively working on figuring out Jake’s next fight – call it October to December time frame.
‘So the plan is for Jake to fight twice in 2025 and two to three times in 2026.’
MVP is also busy planning the third installment of the Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano trilogy, which is set for July 11 at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
