Jake Paul has urged elite boxers to push for fights against similar level opposition, ahead of a year where unification across the divisions is in the picture.
Paul is in the UK promoting the Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano bout, with unified lightweight champion Taylor putting her belts on the line against seven-weight champion Serrano.
The fighters are widely considered to be the top two pound-for-pound fighters in women's boxing and the bout is set to make history, becoming the first female bout to headline New York's iconic Madison Square Garden.
With the pair ranked highly, the fight is set to raise the curtain for what is a huge year for the boxing scene - where unification in the men's heavyweight scene is also on the cards.
That's likely to see Tyson Fury face-off against either Oleksandr Usyk or Anthony Joshua, dependent on the result of their rematch, and Paul believes boxing needs more fights of this calibre on a regular basis.
"What these ladies are doing, I want to give them a round of applause for what they’re doing. They’re doing what most boxers aren’t doing, the pound for pound best going at it," he said in Monday's press conference.
"This is what boxing needs more of, male or female, they’re putting it all on the line for this fight, which is one of the reasons that makes it so big.
"More boxers across the sport should take the message from these two ladies, make the big fights happen if you’re the pound for pound best, tell your promoters this is what you want, that’s what these ladies did and that’s what we want.”
Further unification bouts across the divisions are also set for 2022, with Errol Spence Jr. set to tackle Yordenis Ugas in April.
Savannah Marshall is also set for a unification bout against Claressa Shields later this year, if he beats Femke Hermans.
