Jake Paul has hailed Irish boxer Katie Taylor as bigger than her "washed-up" MMA counterpart Conor McGregor.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer will work with Taylor's promoter Eddie Hearn to put on a super-fight later this month between the Irishwoman and top pound-for-pound star Amanda Serrano. And he believes the Bray native is a better representative for her country than controversial UFC legend McGregor.
Taylor is the current undisputed world lightweight champion, and hasn't lost in her 20 professional bouts since 2016. Meanwhile, Paul argues, McGregor has won just once in the last five-and-a-half years since his crowning moment as the first two-weight UFC champion back in November of 2016.
"I respect Katie Taylor," said Paul, who has been promoting Serrano's career since last year with his manager Nakisa Bidarian at Most Valuable Promotions . "I think she's awesome, she's been nothing but kind to me and she's a champion she's done so much for the sport and women's boxing so for that, she's a legend.
"She's the biggest thing in Ireland, and why wouldn't she be? Conor McGregor hasn't won a fight in five years so do people really care about him? He's washed up. Obviously Katie Taylor is going to be the girl that they support."
However, he is backing his fighter; the hard-hitting Puerto Rican Serrano, to get the job done when the pair meet at Madison Square Garden on April 30. She is a nine-time world champion across seven weight classes, and is one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in the world, with 30 knockouts in her career as well as wins in MMA and submission grappling.
"I'm part Irish as well," the social media star insisted. "That's something people don't know about me. I think I'm 20 per cent Irish, my mom always gets dressed up for St Patrick's Day and all that type of s***.
"But unfortunately Katie's going to lose. I'm sorry but Amanda Serrano is a dog, it's going to be a good fight, don't get me wrong but I can just sense these types of things. This is Amanda's night.
"Amanda, I think, is in her prime and you saw the fight against Persoon with Katie Taylor where she had a tough time dealing with all of that pressure. Well Amanda Serrano is on a different level."
The bout between Serrano and Taylor will prove historic for a number of reasons, not least the fact that it is the first women's fight where both competitors will earn seven figures. Furthermore, Paul believes, the idea of putting two top pound-for-pound boxers in the ring together will inspire other fighters, male and female, to take on the top challengers in their divisions.
Do you agree with Jake Paul's assessment of Katie Taylor being a bigger star than Conor McGregor? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
"I just think Amanda has that mental edge and I feel it in the air that she's going to do something incredible and historic that night," he continued. "It might as well be the biggest fight of the whole entire year, as far as it goes historically it is.
"Boxing needs more of this; the two pound-for-pound best going at it, that's the problem in boxing, these fighters are scared to make these match-ups happen because someone has to lose and we're starting to see more of it which is great.
"But promoters don't want to put their fighters on the line and risk having them lose if that's their cash cow. So this is great for the sport in general and we need to see more of the two pound-for-pound best going at it."
