Who is J'Leon Love, the boxer Jake Paul wants Tyron Woodley to fight?
J'Leon Love is a super middleweight boxer who was in Jake Paul's corner last Saturday. Love shot to online fame overnight following a heated backstage conversation with former UFC champion Tyron Woodley.
J'Leon Love made his professional debut in 2010 by knocking out Vince Burkhalter in the first round and currently holds a record of 24-3-1-1 (NC). In his last outing, J'Leon Love suffered a second-round TKO loss to former WBC champion David Benavidez in 2019. Love won an unpopular split-decision victory over 160-pound rival Gabriel Rosado, only to have it become a no-decision after flunking his post-fight drug examination.
Talks of a fight between J'Leon Love and Tyron Woodley have been brewing since their meeting at the Triller Fight Club event. Here's a glimpse of what the exchange looked like.
Daniel Cormier was not appreciative of the demeanor displayed by Jake Paul and J'Leon Love towards former champion Tyron Woodley and took to Twitter to issue a warning. However, Jake Paul responded by suggesting a potential matchup between Cormier and himself on the one hand and Tyron Woodley vs J'Leon Love on the other.
J'Leon Love grew up in 'The Saigon Projects'
J'Leon Love has a checkered past and is thankful for the position he is in today. Ahead of his bout against Rogelio Medina, Love shared intimate details of his past in an interview with RingTV.com. Speaking about his childhood in Michigan, Love said -
"It’s a blessing, man, it really is. I can’t say that enough or too many times. It definitely is a blessing…I was just a typical guy growing up in the projects of Inkster, Michigan. We called it ‘The Saigon Projects.’ Not too many people make it up outta there. There are a lot of deaths in Inkster, period. You know, it’s in the shadow of Detroit. A lot of things that happen in Inkster, Michigan, that get overshowed because of Detroit."
"But it’s definitely a terrible place due to the murders and the drugs and stuff like that. So that’s where I grew up. I had a rough life. I was in foster homes and stuff like that, so, you know, I just took to the streets like a lot of others did. Sold a lot of drugs, you know. I was just being in the street mess."
Love has also demonstrated a maturity beyond his years, having taken responsibility for nine of his nieces and nephews, left fatherless by the death of his brother in 2013.