By Allan Fox: Jake Paul posted on social media on Monday requesting that Tyron Woodley get the tattoo saying “I love Jake Paul,” and then he’ll consider “maybe” giving him the rematch he wants.
(Photo credit: Amanda Westcott/Showtime)
In a razor-close fight, Woodley (0-1) lost a questionable eight-round split decision to the unbeaten social media influencer Jake (4-0, 3 KOs) last Sunday in Cleveland, Ohio.
Woodley, 40, said he would get the tattoo that Jake is asking him to get in exchange to be given a rematch, but got to be more definite than a “maybe.”
If Woodley is going to be tattooing himself with a humiliating message like “I love Jake Paul,” he’s got to be certain he’s going to get the fight. I mean, that would be a cruel thing for Jake to have Woodley do and then not give him the rematch.
For the boxing fans and media members that felt that Jake, 24, clearly won the fight by a 77-75 score, many others believe that Woodley was given a bad deal with the referee blowing a call in the fourth round on an obvious knockdown.
Tyron’s tattoo guidelines:
1. 3×2 inches at least ✅
2. Can’t get it covered ✅
3. Permanent ✅
4. Must post on social media✅
5. Has to be visible with shorts and shirt on✅
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) August 30, 2021
Moreover, the way the 24-year-old Jake faded after being hurt in the fourth, you can easily count four rounds that he should have lost. With the missed call on the knockdown in round 4, Woodley was robbed of a victory.
Jake tells Woodley to get a tattoo
“Tyron, you’re a b***. You lost. Take it like a man,” said Jake Paul on social media. “Get your tattoo, and maybe we can talk about a rematch. Until then, shut the f*** up.”
“We knew it was going to be a tough fight with a young prodigy and a tough combat veteran,” said Showtime executive Stephen Espinoza on the Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley fight.
“It was a closer score than the scorers thought. Overall, I understand that some of the purists may not be happy about the event, but from my perspective, this is a big win for the sport.
Showtime boss ecstatic over ticket sales
“Anytime in the sport of boxing, whether it’s Jake Paul or anyone else, puts 16,000 people in an arena, and they all go home happy, and we see a wide array of heavyweights to women’s fights to young fighters in entertaining fights in a crowd that was here early and loud throughout the whole fight.
“I give credit for the whole card. Most of the credit goes to the main event [Jake vs. Woodley], and I think it’s a phenomenal thing for the sport. How many boxers can sell 16,000 tickets? There’s a handful,” said Espinoza.
For Jake to be telling Woodley to get his tattoo, that’s a clear sign that he’s thinking of giving him the rematch. I think Jake realizes after the fight that it was too close of a contest for him to walk away. Also, Jake didn’t look good in the fight and was exposed in a big way.
The fight showed that Jake isn’t ready to fight contenders in boxing and that not good enough to beat many journeyman fighters.
Espinoza pleased seeing Jake dropped
“Honestly, I thought good,” Espinoza said when asked what went through his head when he saw Jake Paul get knocked into the ropes from a right hand from Woodley in round four.
“A couple of things. We’d never seen Jake Paul go rounds. We’d never seen Jake take a punch, and I think you can cross those things off the list now.
Again, he’s [Jake] learning and developing. We’ve never seen a fighter that is learning and developing at this stage draw such a crowd. So, it’s a new experience. It’s uncharted territory, but it’s an overall positive,” said Espinoza.
It wasn’t a good sign that Woodley dropped Jake Paul because it showed that he could be easily hurt. Had Woodley not showboated after hurting Jake in the fourth round, he might have gotten him out of there.
With all the experience Woodley has in combat sports, it was difficult to understand him showboating after he hurt Jake.
Was Woodley that overconfident that he could finish Fury in that round? He was facing a guy that was the A-side and the one that sold all those tickets for the arena.
Woodley had to know that his chances of winning a decision were almost zero. The fact that the referee didn’t give Woodley credit for a knockdown in the fourth should have shown him what he was up against.
He wasn’t going to win a decision against Jake, so it’s confusing to try and understand why Woodley didn’t go for the knockout after hurting him. Did Woodley purposefully allow Jake to survive? If so, why?
Tommy Fury vs. Anthony Taylor rematch possible
“To be completely candid, part of it will depend on what the UK business did,” said Espinoza when asked if we’ll see Jake Paul fight Tommy Fury next.
“Part of it is a business decision. There is a possibility of a rematch. I think Tommy Fury would certainly generate a lot of noise.
“He had an awkward opponent,” Espinoza said about Tommy’s fight against Anthony Taylor. “It’s tough to try and look good against someone like Anthony.
“But I give credit to Anthony. He gave him four tough rounds. That might be a fight that we should see again too.
“It’s sometimes hard against a guy with an awkward style like Anthony’s to look good, so I don’t want to draw too many conclusions.
“What I do believe is that he [Tommy Fury] definitely draws a crowd, and he loves to promote.
“He’s able to sell. Women love him [Tommy]. They couldn’t stop talking to him. So he’s an asset on the card. He’s a young boxer as well. And he’s got room to grow, and he’s got the basic skills.
“He’s strong and very athletic. I think whether it’s Jake Paul or not, I think we’ll see him again soon,” said Espinoza about Tommy Fury.
There’s got to be someone more popular than Anthony Taylor for Tommy Fury to fight if he continues to compete on Showtime’s cards.
Considering how disappointing the Fury vs. Taylor fight turned out to be, there’s no real reason to have a rematch. Fury won by a lopsided 4 round unanimous decision by a 40-36 X 3 score, and there was no controversy about the fight results.
If Espinoza wants Tommy to continue to fight MMA guys, they need to search for a better-known fighter than Taylor.
It seems like Tommy is stalling out his career by calling out Jake Paul repeatedly. Instead of Tommy calling out a YouTuber, he should be fighting top-tier light heavyweights that will give him a good fight.
