SUMMARY
- Jake Paul had last fought against Andre August on December 15, 2023, and won the fight via KO.
- Jake Paul may not fight in Saudi Arabia going forward after the recent statement by the Chairman of the General Authority for Entertainment made headlines.
The American boxer Jake Paul, who became quite popular through his vines, might not have an easy time in the future. Paul is now a professional boxer who defeated the British YouTuber Deji Olatunji by TKO in an amateur fight. In his last fight, he beat Andre August on December 15, 2023, via KO.
The fight on February 26, 2023, against Tommy Fury did not go well for Paul, as he lost by split decision. The fight gathered a significant amount of hype; future YouTuber fights in Saudi Arabia seem grim at best.
The Cleveland-born Paul is currently facing stigma for being a YouTuber. In a recent statement, Saudi Arabia’s Chairman of the General Authority for Entertainment, Turki Alalshikh, made it quite clear that he is no longer going to showcase YouTubers fighting in the ring.
His Excellency Turki Alalshikh has said he will not bring any more YouTube boxing to Saudi Arabia: “Please, we don’t want any YouTuber fights again. I want fighters, this is what I support. For me, inside my heart, I want the fighters.” [@DAZNBoxing]
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) January 17, 2024
He stated, “Please, we don’t want any YouTuber fights again. I want fighters, this is what I support. For me, inside my heart, I want the fighters”.
Recently, high-profile social media influencers have taken on each other in the ring, making influencer boxing quite popular across the globe. The social media height has created huge fan buzz and pay-per-view sales.
How Turki Alalshikh’s decision is going to influence boxing in Saudi Arabia
At present, society is divided into two groups with contradicting opinions regarding the influence of boxing, where one group enthusiastically supports such a venture and the other considers it a gimmick that is only fit for public attention.
Turki Alalshikh has a very firm opinion when it comes to the sport of boxing. In an interview with DAZN boxing, he stated, “There are a lot of reasons. There’s not a lot of fighters as charismatic and character now. There are a lot of problems with the promoters. They don’t want to do the strongest fights because it costs a lot”.
According to him, boxing has had a free fall after its golden period of the 1970s and 1980s. It is obvious that ‘His Excellency’ wishes to modernize the sport and make it as glamorous as it once was. In conclusion, Saudi Arabia is going to take proper steps to promote professionalism and improve fan engagement in the sport.
Jake Paul’s last fight in Saudi Arabia and its result
Jake Paul’s last boxing duel in Saudi Arabia was against the British boxer Tommy Fury, where Paul lost to his opponent in a judge’s split decision. Paul was understandably disappointed with the judge’s decision and said that he did not agree with it.
Paul also stated, “But I lost. I’m not making excuses. I’m just saying it wasn’t my best performance. I fell flat.” The left-hand jab of Paul in the eighth round indeed made Fury stumble.
“That wasn’t a knockdown; that was a slip, That was genuinely a slip. I got up … I came right back into it,” Fury stated when asked about the incident in the ring. Such developments put a question mark on Jake’s future as a boxer in Saudi Arabia.