Jake Paul now stands fourteenth in the WBA’s top 15 rankings. Just five places below former champion Chris Billam-Smith. After fighting the likes of Nate Robinson, Ben Askren, and a 58-year-old Mike Tyson, the YouTuber-turned-boxer now aims for a world title. Many believe that day is not far off. There may be a fight or two before the Cleveland native can claim a big belt. To that end, Paul’s intense face-off with unified cruiserweight champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez has already gathered considerable traction.
Nonetheless, he continues to be called out. For Paul, whose unorthodox moves have established him as one of boxing’s top draws, that’s not something new. But Jake Paul has his eyes on the top. Just a few months ago, he had almost closed a historic clash with Canelo Alvarez. Still, lest a fall turn out a bit too steep, some believe Jake Paul shouldn’t raise his bar too high. Former heavyweight champion Shannon ‘The Cannon’ Briggs is all praise for Jake Paul’s achievements. But there’s only one way a fight between them would unfold.
With nearly 88% of his 60 opponents tasting the canvas, Shannon Briggs grabbed major headlines in the 90s heavyweight scene. He managed the feat while Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, and Lennox Lewis still hogged the spotlight. Four years after the loss to Vitali Klitschko, Briggs returned and extended his career till 2016.
The Brooklyn-born former champion, who will turn 54 in December, believes he has the power to knock out Jake Paul. At the Istanbul-held IBA event, Cannon Briggs shared his two cents on Jake Paul’s recent victory. So a reporter asked, “If you were to say now yes or no, will Jake Paul become world champion? What would your answer be?” Now, Shannon Briggs’ reply wasn’t direct. Instead, he implied how a fight between him and Paul might unfold. “I’ll knock Jake Paul out. And I’m 53,000 years old. I’m the oldest man in the history of the planet. I knock him out cold.”
Boxing: Jake Paul vs Nate Diaz Aug 5, 2023 Dallas, Texas, USA Jake Paul reacts after the win against Nate Diaz in a boxing match at American Airlines Center. Dallas American Airlines Center Texas USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xKevinxJairajx 20230805_krj_aj6_0028
But he bounced back and asked who Jake Paul could potentially face for a world championship. Zurdo Ramirez, replied the reporter. The former champion wasn’t familiar with the current roster. “Never heard of him, but yeah, you know, whoever he fights, you know, good luck for him and them, but I don’t know if he fights me; I know what would happen.”
For the record, Briggs isn’t the only former champion feeling so confident about a Jake Paul face-off.
Another legend eyes Jake Paul showdown
It’s been months since Roy Jones Jr. expressed interest in testing Paul’s chin. “I wouldn’t mind just having a shot to see if I could get to his chin to test his chin; if he can take the shot, cool, or if he can catch me before I get to his chin, cool, but I would definitely like a shot to get in there and shoot at his chin, you know,” the legend stated after the Mike Tyson fight.
April 26, 2022, New York, NY, New York, NY, United States: NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 26: Jake Paul watches on as Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano fLight up the Empire State Building ahead of their Undisputed Title Fight on Saturday night April 30 at Madison Square Garden on April 26, 2022 in New York, NY, United States. New York, NY United States – ZUMAp175 20220426_zsa_p175_001 Copyright: xMattxDaviesx
It seems his interest hasn’t waned altogether. “I’ll probably take him out; it would be a tough fight though,” he told Elie Seckbach recently. Like Briggs, the Olympian acknowledged Jake Paul’s boxing prowess. He can ‘punch for real.’
With just a fight or two keeping him away from a world title, Roy Jones Jr., nonetheless, felt a cruiserweight fight with Paul would make for an exciting matchup. “You know what would be thrilling… Picture this for a minute: Jake Paul gets in the position, and Roy Jones has a two- or three-fight comeback. Roy Jones never got the real-world cruiserweight title, Jake Paul wants the real-world cruiserweight title, and wow, somebody vacates and we fight for the vacant [title].”
So the roster of call-outs and the conviction to knock out Jake Paul would continue. If he wants to stop it, then the only way that remains is to knock down a world champion and shut down all the skeptics and challengers once and for all.
Do you agree with Shannon Briggs’s claims that he can knock out Jake Paul with ease?
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