Jake Paul has moved into contention to challenge for the WBA cruiserweight title held by Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez after being ranked 14th by the sanctioning body.
Paul is most widely recognised for his profile as a social-media influencer, but following his latest cynical match-up in a so-called professional boxing ring – on Saturday against the 39-year-old Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr – there finally, following his victory, exists the possibility of him fighting a respected, world-class fighter before that fighter has dramatically declined.
The WBA president Gilberto Mendoza had said beforehand, somewhat inexplicably, that if Paul could beat the former WBC middleweight champion Chavez Jnr he would enter their world rankings at cruiserweight. Paul, 28, and Chavez Jnr’s fellow Mexican Ramirez – who on the same promotion defeated Yuniel Dorticos to defend his WBA and WBO titles – faced off after both had won.
“I want tougher fighters – I want to be world champion,” said Paul, who in 2023 lost to the inexperienced-but-actually-youthful Tommy Fury in what was Fury’s ninth fight. “Zurdo looked slow as shit. That’d be easy work too.”
On Monday, the IBF champion Jai Opetaia – by most estimation’s the world’s finest cruiserweight – spoke of his desire to fight Ramirez, 34, in a unification contest.
By way of comparison with Paul, Cuba’s Dorticos, following his defeat by Ramirez, is ranked seventh. The Armenian Arsen Goulamirian, who last fought in March 2024 when also losing to Ramirez, is sixth. The WBA’s leading contender is Leonardo Mosquea of France. Mosquea, 31, has previously won the European title, but has never fought for a world cruiserweight title.
