Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley on Aug. 29 in Ohio – Showtime PPV

By Boxing News - 07/13/2021 - Comments

Global superstar and professional boxer Jake “The Problem Child” Paul will take on the toughest test of his burgeoning boxing career when he squares off against former UFC champion Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley in the main event of a professional boxing event on Sunday, August 29 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio, live on SHOWTIME PPV.

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After dominating the first three opponents of his professional boxing career, Paul continues to step-up the caliber of his competition against Woodley, a decorated mixed martial arts champion and striking specialist who held the UFC title from 2016 to 2019. On Sunday, August 29, Paul will look to thrill his legions of fans and silence his critics in front of his hometown Cleveland crowd in the eight-round cruiserweight main event, which will be contested at a 190-pound catchweight.

Paul and Woodley will go face-to-face at a press conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday to preview their highly anticipated showdown. The press conference will stream live on the SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and Jake Paul’s YouTube channel.

The special Sunday night event is produced and presented by Most Valuable Promotions and SHOWTIME PPV. The pay-per-view telecast, which begins live at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT is produced and distributed by SHOWTIME PPV. It will feature an undercard complete with high-stakes, professional boxing showdowns including Puerto Rican star and WBC/WBO Featherweight World Champion Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano defending her titles against super bantamweight world champion Yamileth Mercado.

Barstool Sportsbook is The Official Sports Betting Partner for the event, in a unique, fully integrated partnership.

Tickets for the live event will be available for purchase on Thursday, July 22, at RocketMortgageFieldHouse.com.

The 24-year-old Paul (3-0, 3 KOs) is a world-renowned content creator. He began his professional boxing journey in January 2020 and has proven to be an influential participant in the sport’s landscape with his outsized personality and quickly developing skill set. The Cleveland-native is fighting out of Puerto Rico under the eye of former pro boxing contender B.J. Flores, who has been training Jake from his first professional fight. After knocking out YouTube star AnEsonGib and former NBA star Nate Robinson in his first two outings, Paul made quick work of former MMA champion Ben Askren in April with a first-round knockout. With the win over Askren, Paul notched his first victory over a seasoned professional fighter and now takes on an even bigger challenge in Woodley.

“I grew up going to Cavs, Browns and Indians games on the weekends, dreaming as a little kid of one day being in a position to put on a show for my hometown like they did,” said Paul. “On August 29, that dream comes true. My biggest challenge to date, in front of the city that made me, on pay per view for the world to see me knockout a UFC champion. I’m also thrilled to have Amanda Serrano on this card. She stands out as the most prolific KO artist in women’s boxing. What a night this is going to be!”

Fighting out of St. Louis, Missouri, Woodley (19-7-1 MMA record) has a storied career in combat sports. He became UFC champion in July 2016, defeating Robbie Lawler in the first round, and went on to defend his title successfully four times. Before competing in the UFC, Woodley fought in the Strikeforce MMA promotion on SHOWTIME and compiled an 8-1 record from 2009 through 2012. Widely considered one of the most dangerous punchers in UFC history, Woodley earned 14 of his 19 wins by way of TKO or submission.

“I’m a grown ass man,” said Woodley. “I don’t play games with kids. They brought me in to take the trash out. You’re welcome!”

Serrano is the most decorated fighter in women’s boxing history with a professional record of 40-1-1 with 30 knockouts. She was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Brooklyn, New York, where she trains alongside her sister, former featherweight champion Cindy Serrano. The 32-year-old has won titles in every division between 115 and 140 pounds, earning belts in those two divisions just four months apart with fights in September 2018 and January 2019. Serrano won her WBC and WBO featherweight world championship belts in a high-profile showdown against Heather Hardy in 2019 and most recently she defended her titles with a knockout win over three-division world champion Daniela Bermudez in March.

Chihuahua, Mexico’s Mercado (18-2, 5 KOs) has held the super bantamweight title since November 2019 and will look to become a two-division champion on August 29 when she challenges Serrano. The 23-year-old won the title via unanimous decision over Fatuma Zarika, avenging a previous defeat to Zarika in Mercado’s first attempt at the championship. Mercado rides a six-fight winning streak into this showdown, including victories over Julissa Guzman and previously unbeaten Angelica Rascon in 2021.

Here is what Paul and Woodley had to say following their heated staredown in Miami:

JAKE PAUL

“I told him I’ll pay you double your purse if you beat me. But if you lose, you have to pay your purse to my charity. He lacks confidence.

Why wouldn’t you take that bet as a fighter if you knew you were going to win? To make double the money? This is the biggest payday of your life, and you can make double? Put your money where your mouth is.

“He’s a good striker. He’s known for knocking people out. But I think when I beat Tyron, people have to put respect on my name. But that’s not what I’m here for, to be honest.

Image: Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley on Aug. 29 in Ohio - Showtime PPV

I already know how good I am. I know that this is going to be another easy fight. That’s why SHOWTIME is in business with me. You’re looking at the future of boxing.

“He’s not as good as me, and he’s playing catch-up. We see holes in his whole entire game, and he has tried to learn how to box. He’s stiff. Muscles don’t fight, and he’s going to be out of his element. This is boxing.

This isn’t MMA. You can’t learn how to box in this amount of time. Now we’re going to show him the reins. The Disney kid is going to beat up the five-time UFC champion of the world. It’s going to be hilarious.

“I haven’t even shown my fighting abilities at all. I haven’t even made it past two rounds in my professional career. I haven’t been hit in the face.

Nobody can even see if I have a chin or my inside fighting game. I haven’t even warmed up yet. And by the way, I’m the type of fighter that gets better the longer the fight goes on. I get better in sparring, so I haven’t even been able to warm up, and I’m excited to show my ability if he can make it out of the first round.

“I’ve predicted every single one of my fights. I said Ben Askren, first round. I said Nate Robinson, first round. He got to the second. I said in my first pro fight, first round. I don’t think Tyron will make it out of two rounds. You might not even get to see my boxing abilities in this fight, to be honest.”

TYRON WOODLEY

“I’ve always wanted to box my whole life but never did it. This is my opportunity. This is a kid that’s a power-puncher. He’s got a lot of strength behind him.

This is going to be a big platform to showcase what I can do in a boxing ring. And he’s a fighter. He can fight. At the end of the day, you can watch him, and the timing, the rhythm, and the footwork are there.

“He hasn’t fought very long. But the little action that I have seen was clean. Good defense. Nate was rushing him, he protected himself, and he came out of his shell and cracked him.

“He’s trying to downplay his ability. He’s a fighter. Don’t let him play you by saying, ‘I’m just a YouTuber.’ Last week, he was a fighter. When he was saying nobody wanted to fight him, he was a fighter. You’re not a YouTuber anymore.

You’re not on Disney. It’s been a long time since he was on Disney. That’s like me saying I’m just a collegiate wrestler, and I don’t punch people.

“I just want to have fun. I want to train hard. I want to get better. I want to go out there and do things on my terms and be the one to call the shots.

I want to go out there and make history. I always make history. I may not always get the credit for it, but I’m always the first. Fighters always hit me up, asking what they should do, what they’re doing wrong. Now it’s time for me to go do it myself.”