Rugby legend Sonny Bill Williams has been touted as a possible opponent for Jake Paul after winning in his boxing return this week.
The former New Zealand All Blacks star has put together a 9-0 professional boxing record that includes title wins at as high of a level as the WBA international heavyweight belt. And now his coach Andy Lee has suggested that he could be the perfect opponent for YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul for his next fight, which is slated for August.
Williams obliterated Australian Rules football star Barry Hall in a lopsided one-round fight on Wednesday night to land his fourth career knockout within minutes. And he could now be eyeing up a major stateside fight with Paul, if the social media star is interested.
Responding to a DAZN boxing tweet that was reposting Paul's intention to move to 6-0 this summer, Lee said "Future fight Sonny Bill Williams vs Jake Paul". Fans who are familiar with Williams, a two-time Rugby World Cup winner who has boxed on-and-off since 2009, were keen on the suggestion, hoping that he could end Paul's winning run in the sport.
One tweeted: "SBW would flatten him and I’d pay to watch it," while another added: "Please make that happen! SBW all the way!" However, many felt that Paul wouldn't risk taking on a massive heavyweight like Williams with the amount of experience he has in the ring.
One fan said: "Paul don’t want that smoke," before another added: "Not a chance that JP would get in the ring with Sonny Bill. SBW would knock seven bells out of him!" Not many seemed to give the YouTube star much of a chance, although one fan did tweet "Honest opinion. SBW would batter Jake. But Jake has youth and swagger."
Would you like to see Jake Paul fight Sonny Bill Williams? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
Paul has been known for taking on smaller opponents, generally with minimal boxing experience. Only his first professional opponent, fellow social media star AnEsonGib, had boxed at any level before, both being beginner-level white collar bouts. He has since taken on basketball star Nate Robinson and UFC fighters Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley, both of whom came into MMA from wrestling.
And it would be a monstrous step up to face Williams, who has beaten the likes of former heavyweight world champion Frans Botha in his third career sport. He has claimed that he will return to the ring this August after returning to his training base in Dorado, Puerto Rico earlier this month.
Paul has teased a number of possible next opponents, with Tommy Fury still being considered as well as former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. However, he is currently still focusing on promoting the upcoming Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano fight, which happens on April 30 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
