By: Sean Crose
It’s almost the moment of truth, the moment the world will learn whether or not Tyron Woodley can give 3-0 rising star – or, at this point, just star – Jake Paul the first defeat of the social media celebrity’s burgeoning ring career. The truth is that Woodley, a former UFC star now just under forty, will be slipping through the ropes for the first time as a professional boxer tonight in Cleveland. He has, however, been under the tutelage of the one and only Floyd Mayweather, so there might be more tools in the guy’s toolkit than one expects. Still, most people seem to feel it’s the hard hitting Paul who will step out of the ring tonight victorious.
The team here at Boxing Insider have decided to weigh in on matters with some picks of our own.
Larry Goldberg – Founder/Publisher:
Jake Paul. He takes it seriously. His management knows how to pick fights. He’s training for real. Don’t sleep on this kid. Will leave tonight one of the biggest and most hated men in sports.
Hans Themistode – Editor/Writer:
Paul is 24 and been training in boxing for a few years. Woodley is 39, and it’s his pro debut. Woodley also has to try and forget about his old MMA striking while learning something relatively new in boxing. Woodley has lost four straight in MMA and is a wrestler more than a striker.
Hector Franco – Staff Writer:
Man I am not sure. This is Paul’s fourth pro fight and all four have been against people making their pro debut. Woodley may be at a disadvantage with size and lost his last four MMA fights but has a strong wrestling background. At 39, Paul may be the perfect opponent to make his boxing debut against. I’m going with Woodley.
Sean Crose – Senior Writer:
I’ve got nothing but respect for MMA, but admittedly I know far more about boxing. With that in mind, I’ve been aware of Woodley and the talent he’s brought to his sport for years. I’m also comfortable enough in my MMA knowledge to know you simply don’t succeed at the level Woodley has in the UFC without performing at the highest levels of the sport. Yet Paul fights very well for a boxer who is essentially just starting off. The young man also knows how to employ powerful punching effectively. I like Woodley – but I have to go with Paul here.
