Jake Paul has been told he possesses similar business skills to boxing legend Floyd Mayweather.
The YouTube star is preparing for his seventh professional bout which will take place on February 26 in Saudi Arabia against bitter rival Tommy Fury. Paul is having an increasing influence in the sport, where he has been working on both sides of the ropes to build his profile and continue his role as a self-proclaimed disruptor.
During the early stages of his career, Paul has generated significant earnings from his pay-per-view fights despite only having fought former MMA fighters including Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley. And boxing trainer Teddy Atlas believes Paul has been selecting his opponents in a similar way to the former undefeated champion so far in his professional stint.
“He’s almost been an understudy of the great Floyd Mayweather, really, and that’s a positive thing," he said on his podcast T he Fight with Teddy Atlas when comparing the YouTube star with the retired boxing legend. 'We’re not talking about as a fighter. We’re talking about in this business, as a businessman, as a matchmaker, as a manager, just as a smart calculated man.
" Jake Paul has been every bit of Floyd Mayweather. Floyd was very smart in picking his opponents and just a genius businessman, and Jake Paul is very smart at picking opponents, and he’s a genius businessman. Give him credit. Give him credit, d**nit. It’s the American way. I don’t have a problem with him because he went, got a trainer, he worked his backside off to become the best fighter he could, and he’s still doing it."
Paul has previously clashed with Mayweather during the fight week media events for his brother Logan's exhibition with the boxing legend. He stole his potential rival's hat which saw the pair descend into a mass brawl with security, which has seen Mayweather dislike the influencer ever since.
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Despite Mayweather's distaste for the YouTube star it is likely he could stick around in the sport particularly if he picks up a career-best win over Fury next month. The Briton will be Paul's first examination against a boxer with a natural ability in the sport, and it is one that he isn't taking lightly.
And with traditional Mayweather flamboyance, Paul has already claimed he knows what punch he will use to end his grudge match with Fury. "Me and Tommy will be around three rounds max," Paul told iFL TV. "He's just not going to be prepared for the moment or what I'm bringing to the table. I'm trying to knock him out with a hook actually, I want him to be the first person I knock out with my left hand so we've been working on that.
"Tommy should get a good wealth manager, I can recommend you a few, take the money and ride off into the sunset but this is going to set your life in the direction that you should have been on before and you're going to hate this f***ing sport after February 26."
