Both the WBA and WBC appear to be taking great interest in Jake Paul’s boxing career. The American Disney star-turned-boxer recently defeated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, son of Mexican legend Julio Cesar Chavez Sr, but with Chavez hardly qualifying as even a fringe contender at cruiserweight, the plans by both organizations to rank Paul in the division appear very much questionable.
Despite Jake Paul recording a unanimous decision (UD) victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at cruiserweight (200 lbs) this past Saturday [June 28], the fight proved to be controversial with Chavez’ efforts in the last couple of rounds where he appeared to be dominating ― as opposed to earlier rounds ― bringing up accusations of a “rigged contest”, not dissimilar to Paul’s previous contest with Mike Tyson that underwent similar controversy after Tyson’s lackluster performance and loss to Paul.
Whether the fight was fabricated or not, the WBA and WBC’s plans to rank Jake Paul appear to have little to do with his actual ability and competitive standing. As reported by BoxingScene’s Lance Pugmire, the organizations are fully on board to put Paul on their official ranking boards at cruiserweight.
“Told by WBA President Gilberto Mendoza that if [Jake Paul] wins tonight, he will be elevated into the [WBA] rankings, making him eligible for a title shot at the champion [Gilberto Ramirez] or [Yuniel] Dorticos,” Pugmire reported the day before the fight.
Following the June 28th contest between Paul and Chavez Jr, the WBC has also joined the list of interested organizations aiming to give Jake Paul a boost in their rankings.
“The live gate was a record $1.57 million for [Jake Paul] at [Honda Center] tonight and Nakisa Bidarian at MVP told me he expects the [WBC] to also rank Paul given that both he and Ramirez beat their 39-year-old foes the same way.” Pugmire posted on social on June 29th.
Both sanctioning bodies’ reasoning appears ill-thought out. According to Pugmire, the basis for the WBC potentially ranking Jake Paul is due to him beating the 39-year Chavez in similar fashion [by unanimous decision] to unified 200 lbs champion Gilberto Ramirez (48-1, 30 KO’s) defeating Cuban challenger Yuniel Dorticos (27-3, 25 KO’s).
Of course, the disparity in ability between Chavez Jr ― who competed in only his second fight in three and a half years ― and Dorticos could not be any wider, with Dorticos having actually earned his way into a title shot while further proving to be a challenge for Ramirez to overcome during their June 28th contest.
Chavez, in comparison, has proved little to nothing in the division, with his previous fight in 2024 occurring against a 1-0 opponent in UFC-turned-boxer Uriah Hall ― placing Chavez Jr. well below the level of an actual ranked fighter.
The WBA gave no explicit reason for why they would rank Jake Paul, but the intent by both organizations suggests Paul’s popularity is the main incentive to see him ranked. Ability-wise, Paul has yet to prove to be ready to be considered a genuine contender, with his recent dubious victory over a severely declined and out-of-shape Chavez not helping his position.
With both the WBA and WBC’s well-recorded instances of corruption, at worst, and incompetence at best, it is unsurprising to see Paul benefit from the whims of the two organizations but it might not be an entirely beneficial arrangement.
If faced against an actual ranked opponent or even a champion, Paul’s chances of winning would be slim to none but more glaringly, the American fighter’s health would be at risk given his lack of experience and ability ― setting him up to be a virtual punching bag against genuine cruiserweight fighters.
