Jake Paul deserves credit - Luke Thomas reveals boxing added more youthful audience in last 10 years than any other sport
Combat sports analyst Luke Thomas has acknowledged that Jake Paul deserves some credit for his impact on the sport of boxing. Thomas, largely praising the growth of youth in the sport, has admitted that while he doesn't believe Paul will be a great boxer, what he's done and continues to do for the sport shouldn't go unnoticed.
Speaking with Brendan Schaub on The Schaub Show, Thomas explained that Jake Paul's MVP Promotions has had a huge impact on the career of Amanda Serrano. 'The Real Deal', regarded as one of the best women's boxers of all time, has exponentially become a more well-known name to those in the sport. The Puerto Rican will face the undefeated Katie Taylor at Maddison Square Garden on April 30. Thomas believes this is, in part, down to Jake Paul.
"Amanda Serrano, Katie Taylor this weekend. MVP Promotions along with Eddie Hearn at MSG. That's big dude. He has blown up her profile more than she could. I give him all the credit for not only raising her profile, but for not being just a taker."
Thomas mostly praised 'The Problem Child' for what he's done for the youth in boxing. Quoting recent studies, the analyst revealed that the growth in young people under the age of 25 who are signing up for the sport is the biggest it has been in over a decade.
Luke Thomas said:
"They have done subsequent studies have shown that no sport had added a bigger portion of the youthful audience than boxing. It's had the most growth in people under 25 years old. I don't know what else you can credit that to other than this YouTube cross-over phenomenon... The amount of young people watching boxing relative to what it was 10 years ago has massively increased. You gotta give him, as well as other folks, credit for that."
Watch the full episode of The Schaub Show with Luke Thomas here:
Will Jake Paul fight Tommy Fury?
The two young boxing stars were originally meant to face each other in December 2021. Fury later pulled out of the fight with an undisclosed injury and a bacterial chest infection.
I asked @jakepaul what he thought of @tommytntfury’s victory:
“Congrats on beating a 10-1 fighter. But that stadium was empty. When I fight the stadium is full. When Tommy fights no one gives a fuck. And that’s in his home country. Let’s see how Anderson Silva’s event does.”
'TNT', who defeated his opponent on Saturday via unanimous decision, had been hoping to produce a highlight knockout in the hopes of reigniting a rivalry with 'The Problem Child'. Paul continued his animosity towards the Englishman, claiming the stadium was empty because nobody wanted to see him fight.
Jake Paul has also been linked to a fight with former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping. The two have exchanged heated words on social media. The general consensus, however, was that if Paul is to call out a retired UFC fighter, it should be Anderson Silva, who has transitioned to professional boxing.
It seems as though the American's eyes will be on the numbers for Anderson Silva's next bout and only if he deems it financially acceptable.