Jake Paul has revealed he may never fight as a heavyweight again — after admitting he got “too fat” while bulking up for his showdown with Mike Tyson.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer packed on two stone (28 pounds), tipping the scales at 227lbs (16st 2lbs) ahead of his controversial November bout with Tyson. It was a dramatic jump from his usual fighting weight of around 185lbs.
Paul admitted his high-calorie diet of pasta, steak, and potatoes made him sluggish and even made running difficult during training. Despite winning the fight against Tyson over eight two-minute rounds, Paul said he didn’t feel comfortable at the weight.
“It was just too much, and my body wasn’t made for it,” Paul said. “Even when I got into the ring, I just felt too fat. So cruiserweight is definitely the perfect weight for me.”
After six months of cutting weight, Paul is now back down to the 200lb (14st 4lb) cruiserweight limit. He’s preparing to face former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr on June 28 in a DAZN pay-per-view bout.
Paul’s fight with Tyson drew over 100 million viewers on Netflix, despite the 31-year age gap between the two fighters. The 28-year-old then entered surprise talks to fight boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez, but the deal fell through after Canelo signed a four-fight deal with Saudi promoter Turki Alalshikh.
Next, Paul explored a potential exhibition bout with WBA lightweight champ Gervonta Davis. However, Davis is now expected to rematch Lamont Roach in August following their controversial draw.
Now focused on staying active, Paul sees the Chavez Jr fight as a stepping stone toward bigger matchups.
“I wanted the hardest and biggest fights — first it was Canelo, then Gervonta, but those fell through,” Paul said. “After that, we were in talks with multiple fighters, and Chavez was the one who stepped up. It just made sense.”
Paul insists he still plans to take on the sport’s biggest names — when the timing is right.
