Eddie Alvarez takes a dig at Jake Paul and celebrity boxing
Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez has taken a shot at YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul and the new trend of celebrity boxing. In conjunction with Triller Fight Club, Jake Paul and his brother Logan Paul are disrupting the combat sports industry by organizing boxing fights consisting largely of non-boxers.
Combat sports veterans and fans have been divided into extremes regarding the Paul brothers and Triller Fight Club. Some call them geniuses, while others can't stand them. 'The Underground King' Eddie Alvarez recently had something to say about it all via a post on Twitter.
The comments come after Eddie Alvarez recently said at the media day leading up to 'ONE on TNT 4' that MMA is a real fight, boxing isn't. Alvarez was also reportedly in talks to fight Oscar De La Hoya in a boxing bout later this year. However, after watching the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren fight card, 'The Underground King' had a change of heart.
While many may be critical of Jake Paul and Triller Fight Club, others seem to be in support. Triller claims they did 1.5 million pay-per-view (PPV) buys at the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren event. Clearly, they have an audience and seem to be doing rather well. Logan Paul is even set to fight Floyd Mayweather in an exhibition bout on June 6, 2021.
What's next for Eddie Alvarez and Jake Paul?
Eddie Alvarez has had a tough year so far. He competed twice in April 2021 for ONE Championship. His first bout ended via DQ, which was later turned into a no-contest, and he lost the second bout via decision.
'The Underground King' has been on a quest to gain a third lightweight belt after conquering the Bellator and UFC lightweight belts. But things don't seem to be going his way so far. To his credit, he fought twice in one month and put on a great fight both times.
On the other hand, Jake Paul is the talk of the town. Everything seems to be going his way. 'The Problem Child' loves attention, and he's been getting it in abundance. He has successfully turned the combat sports world on its head.
After fighting two non-boxers, Jake Paul earned his ticket to combat sports fame when he knocked out Ben Askren in the first round of their boxing bout. To be fair, the former Bellator champion is a terrible striker, but Jake Paul earned the right to say he beat a fighter.
Since then, Paul has gone on a spree of calling out UFC fighters for boxing bouts. Interestingly, Jake Paul never calls out boxers and primarily only calls for fights against wrestlers and grapplers. That said, he's playing it smart. He knows his boxing run is limited and wants to make hay while the sun shines.
Jake Paul currently holds a 3-0 boxing record and will probably be seen helping his brother Logan Paul prepare for the exhibition bout against Floyd Mayweather.