Chael Sonnen believes Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. would beat Jake Paul, but 'The Problem Child' has "something special"
Chael Sonnen believes Jake Paul might be biting on something he can't chew by calling out Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. However, the former UFC middleweight star also stated that he isn't discounting the YouTuber's ability to rise to the occasion.
Paul recently mentioned Chavez Jr. – the son and namesake of Mexico's multi-division former world champ – as someone he could face in the future. As far as Sonnen is concerned, Chavez Jr. should be the favorite if that fight takes place. During an episode of his YouTube show, Sonnen stated:
"I would imagine Chavez Jr. would beat him. I would imagine Chavez Jr. would beat him easily in every single round. But it is Jake Paul, who has something special. And he has manipulated the rules with the rounds, with the time. He has done some stuff to favor him and he admits to it."
Watch Chael Sonnen's take on Jake Paul fighting Chavez Jr. here:
Chavez, of course, isn't nearly as talented of a boxer as his legendary father was. The 35-year-old dropped a split decision against retired UFC icon Anderson Silva in his most recent outing.
Nonetheless, Chavez Jr. is significantly more skilled than all of Paul's previous opponents. He won the WBC middleweight title in 2011 and defended it thrice before dropping it the following year.
Jake Paul believes beating Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. will silence his doubters
Last year, Jake Paul was supposed to fight Tommy Fury, the first opponent he would have fought who's a boxer by trade. However, the fight fell through after the British up-and-comer was forced to withdraw due to a "bacterial chest infection" and a rib injury.
Right now, Paul claims he's no longer interested in fighting Fury. Instead, 'The Problem Child' has shifted his focus to booking a fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
According to the YouTuber, beating Chavez would prove, once and for all, that he's a legitimate pro boxer. During an interview on Boxing with Chris Mannix, Paul said:
"It's interesting. I like that fight [against Chavez Jr.] a lot because it silences the critics, you know? He was a former world champion and I know I can beat him. And you look at his record, it's like 50 wins or something and I don't even know the losses but it's a good record. So that challenge excites me and I'm down. This is what people don't understand, even after I knocked out [Tyron] Woodley, people said, 'fight a real boxer'!, Guys, I tried!..."