SUMMARY
- In December 2023, Jake Paul fought against Andre August.
- Jake Paul will fight against Ryan Bourland in March 2024
Jake Paul makes his return to the ring, for the first time in 2024. Trying to stay active, Paul is going down the path of going after fighters with a more padded record than himself. With that, he now finds himself facing off against another relatively unknown quantity in Ryan Bourland.
Previously, ‘The Problem Child‘ closed out the year with a solid KO win over Andre August. Naturally, the 10-1 August was never going to be a problem for Jake, as he was going down the route of picking low-risk fights to build up his record. Having lost to Tommy Fury in February 2023, Paul has been looking to build himself up before eventually making his case to fight for an official title.
5 more days to…#SerranoMeinke
✅ Amanda Serrano vs Nina Meinke
✅ Jake Paul vs Ryan Bourland
✅ Bomba Gonzalez vs Rene Santiago
✅ Wanna Walton vs Joshua Torres
✅ Krystal Rosado vs G. Munguiila
From the Choli, live on DAZN globally! pic.twitter.com/vvui689VXt— Most Valuable Promotions (@MostVpromotions) February 26, 2024
For the most part, Paul has also ignited a new rivalry in the meantime with Neeraj Goyat. Arguably a much tougher test than some of his recent opponents, Goyat is also a much bigger name. Thus, the growing rivalry will likely result in a fight in the future, one that will draw in viewers worldwide. However, before any of that happens, Jake will need to dispatch his current opponent.
What do we know about Jake Paul’s next opponent, Ryan Bourland?
For those unaware, Jake Paul’s next opponent is a semi-retired boxer by the name of Ryan Bourland. Naturally, many of Paul’s fans and even boxing fans are unaware of this name, due to the fighter never being in the public limelight. With that said, Bourland is not as unimpressive as some of Jake’s previous opponents have been.
As for this one, Jake is hyping it up, stating that Bourland (17-2) has double the amount of fights with more KOs than him. A deeper dive into the fighter’s history reveals that Bourland is a former Uber driver and is supposedly coming out of retirement for this fight. Upon the initial announcement, there was a lot of trolling from fans and even Dillon Danis, who mocked Paul’s choice of opponent.
Jake Paul is back in 7 days and facing 17-2 Ryan Bourland. Your co-main event of Serrano vs Meinke.
Will Jake Paul have his hand raised or will Ryan Bourland show the world that his experience is too much for El Gallo De Dorado?
Live globally on @daznboxing #PaulBourland… pic.twitter.com/UsH0E2ziwt
— Most Valuable Promotions (@MostVpromotions) February 24, 2024
With that said, ‘Rhino‘ is a two-time GBO Light Heavyweight champion, a National Junior Olympian, and a former Golden Gloves Champion. Having beaten Jose Hernandez in 2018, Rhino announced his retirement. However, he would then come out of retirement to fight Santario Martin in 2022. Standing at 6ft and weighing in at 185.25 lbs, Bourland still has some fight left in him. Will it be enough to test Paul? Probably not.
How much will Jake Paul and Ryan Bourland make for their fight?
In the past, Jake Paul has made a big deal out of raising a voice for fair fighter pay. Thus, he has often tempted and teased his opponent with lucrative contracts, often touting big PPV numbers as well. With that said, the Ohio native is not expected to make a lot of money for this one, as was the case for his fight with Andre August. Owing to both fighters being ‘nobodies’, there isn’t a lot of marketing for the fight either.
Previously, Jake brought in estimated earnings of $1.2 million against Nate Robinson, $2 million against Tyron Woodley, and $1,500,000 against Anderson Silva. Thereafter, he also took home $3.2 million against Tommy Fury, but Jake claimed it to be $30 million. As for his previous fight against Andre August, Jake earned somewhere between $5-7 million. As such, it is expected that he will pocket a similar amount for this one as well.
The goal is simple, build the skillset to become world champion. Next up is a guy who has twice as many professional fights under his belt than I do. Ryan “The Rhino” Bourland. And just like the animal in his bone chilling nickname… he is also endangered😂😅
On Saturday, March… pic.twitter.com/CzhHTx9tsC
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) January 30, 2024
Moreover, Paul has claimed that he will donate his entire fight purse to Boxing Bullies. As such, his contributions will be used to help renovate boxing gyms across Puerto Rico. On the other hand, Ryan Bourland is expected to be well looked after as well. According to reports, the semi-retired professional has a net worth of $100,000- 500,000. Thus, he will have the biggest payday of his career, set to make $2 million for the fight.