Skip to main content

Is Jake Paul a Professional Boxer? What You Need to Know

Image used with permission by copyright holder

You likely know Jake Paul as a YouTube star, but in recent years, the social media personality — who was already not without his share of controversy — has raised some eyebrows when he stepped into the ring to try his hand at boxing. The move was not without success, however, as Paul has won all of his fights so far and has proven himself to be quite the pay-per-view draw. The question nonetheless remains: Is Jake Paul actually a professional boxer? Here’s what you need to know.

The world of professional boxing is comprised of many international organizations both large and small. And unlike MMA, where one promotion stands tall above the rest (that’d be the UFC), there’s no one boxing league that dominates all others when it comes to hosting fights and selling tickets. A fight is simply considered professional if it is regulated and sanctioned by one of the recognized bodies that exist for this purpose. These sanctioning bodies set rules, help negotiate the contracts, assign judges and referees for the fights, and award their own championship belts.

Related

There are dozens of international boxing organizations but the four main sanctioning bodies are the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC), International Boxing Federation (IBF), and World Boxing Organization (WBO). These issue the most sought-after titles — any boxer who is referred to as the “undisputed” champion holds all four titles in his weight class from these bodies.

Any boxing match that is sanctioned and regulated by at least one of these agencies is a professional match, and any fighters that participate are professional boxers. Fights that aren’t officially sanctioned are considered amateur bouts, although these may also be advertised as “white collar” or “exhibition” matches. Non-professional bouts typically have fewer rounds than professional matches. In professional boxing, fighters are also allowed to dish out and take more physical punishment before the referee will halt the fight.

Jake Paul’s two fights in 2020 were indeed professional fights, and that makes Jake Paul a professional boxer. The first, in January, was against fellow YouTuber Ali Loui Al-Fakhri (better known as AnEsonGib, or simply Gib), followed by a match against former NBA player Nate Robinson in November. Paul won both via knockout. That gives him an official professional record of 2-0, although he previously fought KSI’s younger brother Deji in an amateur contest in 2018. Jake won that fight via knockout, too.

His third professional fight might not prove to be so easy. So far, none of Jake Paul’s opponents have been professional fighters themselves. The next one is different: Tonight, Jake will be going up against former UFC fighter and Bellator champion Ben Askren. Askren is an established fighter in the MMA world and has a professional record of 19 wins and two losses. He’s almost certain to be the fiercest opponent yet for the YouTube star, but time will tell if Paul’s training — and newfound status as a bona fide professional boxer — will help him over the top.

If you want to see for yourself, then you can buy the Triller Fight Club: Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren PPV on FITE.tv for $50. The four-hour event airs tonight and features four fights along with musical acts from Justin Bieber, The Black Keys, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, and more.

Editors' Recommendations

Lucas Coll
Lucas Coll is a freelance commerce and affiliate writer for The Manual and our tech-focused brother site, Digital Trends…
Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren Time: When are They Entering the Ring?
jake paul vs ben askren time press conference

Tonight, Triller is hosting its second huge boxing event, with internet celebrity Jake Paul once again stepping into the boxing ring to take on former UFC fighter Ben Askren. The entire show is serving up a total of seven boxing matches plus a ton of live musical performances. The fun kicks off at 9 PM ET, but you can read on to get an idea of when the main attraction is likely to pop off -- and don't forget to buy the Paul vs. Askren pay-per-view on FITE.tv if you haven't already so you can stream it live.

This Triller Fight Club event kicks off tonight at 9 PM, but with seven fights on the card happening alongside a bunch of live musical acts, we expect this packed show to last most of the night. Triller hasn't released any official schedule for it yet, however. Nonetheless, we can glean some details from the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones, Jr. exhibition that Triller and the Legends Only League hosted together last November.

Read more
Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren PPV Price: How Much Will it Cost?
jake paul vs ben askren ppv price face off

Today, Triller (more specifically, its new off-shoot boxing promotion Triller Fight Club) is hosting its second big event featuring YouTuber Jake Paul walking into the ring to face MMA fighter Ben Askren. This is a pay-per-view event set to bring a full night of boxing and live musical acts. Here's how much the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren PPV costs.

The Triller Fight Club: Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren pay-per-view tickets are being sold through FITE.tv, the online streaming platform on which the event will air. The Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren PPV costs $50 and you'll have to sign up for FITE.tv to purchase and watch it, but your FITE account itself costs nothing. You actually get access to a limited selection of free content with your basic membership, but if you're a fight fan, you should consider joining FITE+ for just $5 per month, which lets you enjoy the entire library of content FITE.tv has to offer with no ads.

Read more
Who’s Performing at Triller Fight Club: Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren?
Jake Paul celebrates in the ring after a win.

This Saturday, YouTuber-turned-pro-boxer Jake Paul and retired UFC star Ben Askren are going at it in a boxing match at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. While fight fans are looking forward to an exciting night of boxing, Triller Fight Club has more to offer than that. The show is also going to be jam-packed with entertainment from musical artists along with seven boxing matches on the fight card, and you can watch it all live with FITE.tv. Here's what to expect from the event.

Triller is a popular online video streaming platform similar in many ways to TikTok, but has expanded in scope recently. Last November, Triller teamed up with the Legends Only League to host an exciting exhibition fight between Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. with Jake Paul boxing former NBA player Nate Robinson as the co-main event. Now, Triller is diving further into the boxing world with its own Triller Fight Club promotion, with Jake Paul once again stepping into the ring -- this time to face off against MMA fighter Ben Askren.

Read more