Ex-YouTuber Jake Paul serious about prizefighting

Love him or hate him, boxing fans better get used to YouTube star turned prizefighter Jake Paul.

Having first earned fame – and a massive social media following – for his provocative pranks, Paul has injected new life and plenty of controversy into boxing… and told Reuters he loves every aspect of it, from training and fighting to the over-the-top, obscenity-laden press conferences.

“I want to change the sport forever. I want to make an impact, leave a footprint and go down in the history books as someone who really helped this sport. I want to be talked about for years and years to come and I want to have fun doing it.”

His upcoming rematch against former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley may help him achieve just that.

Paul won over some skeptics after he beat Woodley by a split decision in August, giving him a 4-0 record.

Still, not everyone is thrilled about his meteoric rise in the sport.

Jake and his brother Logan had already made millions off their viral videos when he fought his first fight in 2018, and many were quick to point out that his white, upper-middle-class upbringing in Ohio clashes with boxing's rags-to-riches ethos.

But the 24-year-old is quick to dismiss the haters.

"There's not a smart person on this planet who would sit there and say that Jake Paul is bad for boxing. This guy who's bringing in millions of fans, he's supporting women's boxing, he has a foundation to get gloves into the hands of kids, he's supporting amateurs, he's renovating gyms in Puerto Rico and across the United States. That's bad?"

He also plans to be a force outside the ring with his own promotion company, having just signed female boxing champ Amanda Serrano.

"Amanda Serrano was getting paid $40,000, $50,000 at most and she's one of the greatest fighters ever. That's crazy. She deserves to be a millionaire.”

Paul’s rematch against Tyron Woodley is available on Showtime pay-per-view Dec. 18.