Jake Paul has been called out for the second time by Eddie Hearn's Olympic signing Cheavon Clarke.
Paul has announced his boxing return on August 13 for his sixth professional fight. He is yet to name an opponent for his latest outing with the likes of Tommy Fury and Anderson Silva believed to be in the running.
And Clarke has recalled the messages he received after being proposed as an opponent for the YouTube star. "Yeah it was funny because that day Sam killed me in the gym and it was a gruelling day," Clarke said at a press conference. "I had turned my phone off for the first time in a long time.
"My little nephew was playing with it but then I turned it off. I turned my phone on at like 12:30 at night, and then it was just going for like 30 seconds. I looked at it and was like 'It's me'! I have no problem with that fight."
Clarke was offered to Paul after the YouTube star vowed to beat anyone on Hearn's roster who has had fewer than ten professional fights. The 31-year-old made a winning start to his professional career having made it to the last 16 of the Tokyo 2020 Games last year.
He initially made his call-out after the mention, believing his amateur pedigree would hand him a significant advantage over Paul. “ Jake Paul ’s been training, right? So a fight against me will show what he’s learnt,” Clarke said.
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“I think my pedigree would come forward. I’m up for fighting him, he wants to be a ‘real boxer’, he wants to fight a ‘real boxer’, so who am I to say no? Of course I’d fight him. Talk is cheap like free WiFi! I tweeted the other day, Fight Camp 2022 - we could have it there or wherever. I’d take a fight wherever.
“He’s been training, so you have to give him credit for that, but it’s just like anything else, learning a craft. Like him and his YouTube, I couldn’t just go on YouTube today and rack up the following he has, he’s dedicated and honed his craft to get that."
Paul has a number of alternative options for his ring return with legendary heavyweight Mike Tyson also planning to contact the 25-year-old over a meeting. Fury was expected to be in pole position to get a rescheduled opportunity but Paul has since cast doubt on his chances of a rescheduled date.
"I don't think a fight will ever happen," he said. "I don't wanna give him the opportunity. He had his shot. "I'd like to see him have to fight 20 more times to even get the same payday he was gonna get vs me. Sorry Tommy, it's not going to happen."
