Internet influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul makes his return to the ring for the first time since his November fight with Mike Tyron when he whipped Julio César Chávez Jr. in a unanimous decision.
Chávez indicated he would retire if he lost the fight, and that seems like a good idea. He was listless for most of eight rounds before coming alive late against a tiring Paul, but it was far too late.
Paul is expected to take home somewhere between $8 and $10 million, while Chávez Jr. is looking at $2.5 million.
Paul came in as a heavy favorite against the 39-year-old Chávez and look the part, particularly early when Chávez was reluctant to throw a punch.
Opinion: Jake Paul is good at beating has-beens, but what does it mean?
Jake Paul again dominated a fight and again didn’t look like anything special as he whipped 39-year-old Chavez Jr., who looked like he should retire.Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Paul’s last two wins are against fighters with a combined age of 97, but at the end of Saturday’s fight he looked the more tired of the two. Of course, Chavez Jr. didn’t expend much energy in the first five rounds, where he mostly looked like a spectator.
Paul never came close to knocking down Chavez, but also never looked in danger of losing.
Jake Paul def. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. by unanimous decision
The three scorecards had it 99-91 (must have said Paul won the ninth round), 98-92 and 97-93.
Round 10: Chavez decided to start fighting long after he was beaten. He wins the last two rounds, landing a number of big shots late, but Paul will move to 12-1 with a unanimous decision. Paul 98, Chavez 92.
Round 9: Chavez may have just won a round! A number of shots were exchanged but Chavez seemed to land a few more. His only way out of here is a knockout, which doesn’t look imminent, but he’s raising questions about Paul’s stamina. Far too late. Paul 89, Chavez 82.
Round 8: The two come together late in the round and exchange a flurry, which could stand as the most exciting moment of a ho-hum fight. Paul appears to be tiring, but is in no danger from Chavez, who has no offense. Paul takes another round. Paul 80, Chavez 72.
Round 7: This was Chavez’s most competitive round and he might possibly have won it, but probably not. Paul is starting to land some uppercuts to follow up his jabs and landed a big one. But he hasn’t come close to damaging Chavez while dominating the right. Paul 70, Chavez 63.
Round 6: Chavez ties to muster some offense and lands a few roundhouses, but Paul continues to control the right. He landed a few combinations and Chavez just doesn’t look threatening at all. Paul 60, Chavez 54.
Round 5: The most non-descript round of the fight goes to Paul, but not much going on. Paul caught Chavez with a left jab that was enough to win the round. Barring a knockout this is about done. Paul 50, Chavez 45.
Round 4: Chavez finally seems to realize there’s a fight he’s involved in and shows a little life, though he spent as much time yapping at the ref as throwing punches. Paul wins the round, which was somewhat competitive. Paul 40, Chavez 36.
Round 3: Chavez landed a punch! And took a whole bunch right to his face. He’s just getting crushed, it looks like the alarm hasn’t gone off yet. Paul measuring him and peppering him with shots. Chavez looks done already. Paul 30, Chavez 27.
Round 2: Chavez is attempting to become the first boxer ever to win a fight without throwing a punch. It isn’t going well at all. After Paul beat him up for half a round Chavez finally threw a couple of wild swings to no effect. Paul lands a combination late in the round. He’s killing Chavez through two rounds. Paul 20, Chavez 18.
Round 1: After an uneventful first minute, Paul takes Chavez Jr.’s measure and wins the round. He landed several punches, including a big one on a right hook, and didn’t appear to take any. Paul 10, Chavez 9.
National anthems
Ana Barbara sang the Mexican national anthem. Moriah sang the Star Spangled Banner.
Mexico 2, Saudi Arabia 0
Mexico won the Gold Cup soccer game against Saudi Arabia, 2-0, to earn a semifinal against Honduras Wednesday.
How old is Jake Paul?
Jake Paul is 28. His opponent, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., is 39.
Jake Paul net worth
Jake Paul’s net worth is $100 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Paul made $40 million from his fight against Mike Tyson in November.
Zurdo Ramirez def. Yuniel Dorticos by unanimous decision
The Cuban Dorticos was winning this fight for the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles as it hit the midpoint but the Mexican Ramirez wore him down and controlled the later rounds. Dorticos didn’t help himself with a low blow in the 10th round, his third low blow of the bout but the first one to cost him a point.
The three judges scored it 115-112, 115-112, 117-110.
The 34-year-old Ramirez improves to 48-1 while Dorticos falls to 27-3. Ramirez, who retained his two cruiserweight titles, is a potential opponent for Paul’s next fight
Raul Curiel def. Victor Ezequiel Rodriguez by TKO
The Mexican Curiel controlled the fight through the first three rounds, though it was competitive, then decked Rodriguez in the fourth with a flurry. Rodriguez got back up but didn’t show anymore life. As Curiel closed in for the kill and Rodriguez no longer defending himself, the referred ended the fight in the middle of the fourth round.
Curiel improves to 16-0-1 with his 14th knockout. Rodriguez falls to 16-1-1.
Julian Rodriguez def. Avious Griffin by KO
Rodriguez with a 10th-round knockout to score a major upset. Scorecards were tight going into the 10th round, the DAZN card had Rodriguez ahead despite getting knocked down in the eighth round, but he finished Griffin by knocking him into the ropes with a roundhouse left hook.
Griffin falls to 17-1, with 16 of those 17 wins coming by KOs. Rodriguez improves to 24-1 with his 14th KO.
Afterward Rodriguez called out Jake Paul: “Put that on Tik-Tok.” He said he thought he was ahead on scorecards, but since this was a Paul promotion he indicated he was aware he could get homered.
As it turns out, Rodriguez was tied on two of the scorecards so a 10th-round win would have been good enough without a knockout.
Floyd Schofield def. Tevin Farmer by TKO
Floyd Schofield didn’t need a round to dismiss Tevin Farmer in a lightweight bout. He needed 1:18 in fact. In that span Schofield knocked Farmer down twice and within moments of his second knock down he tagged Farmer with another right and the referee ended the bout. Schofield landed eight of his 14 punches while Farmer landed one of two.
What time does Jake Paul fight tonight?
The ring walk is expected at 9 p.m. MT/10 CT, which is of course variable depending on how long the undercard fights last.
Where can I watch the fight tonight?
The fight is on DAZN and runs $59.99.
How tall is Jake Paul?
Jake Paul is 6-1, the same height as Chavez.