August 26, 2021
What does it mean to be a fighter?
A fighter can be perceived as a warrior or soldier, fighting for their country or beliefs. A fighter can be someone who is battling cancer in a hospital. A fighter can be a first responder, who is rushing to the scene of a crime or accident. However, on Sunday, August 29th in Cleveland, Ohio, we are all going to see two individuals who exemplify ‘what it means to fight.’
Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley is a fight that I would have NEVER thought would come to reality. Three years ago, when Jake Paul first started boxing, Tyron Woodley was the UFC Welterweight Champion. Meanwhile, what would seem like two athletes in their own respective lanes, would suddenly change in a rapid fashion. However, before we get to the reason, let’s rewind for a minute to figure out how we got here.
24-year-old Jake Paul, along with his brother, Logan, started out as Social Media Superstars in the early stages of the ‘Vine’ App in 2013. What started as making short snippet videos and performing skits on camera would soon turn into fame and popularity. Many people were famous on Vine, but not everybody carried their popularity with them once the app was discontinued. However, for Jake Paul, “By the time the app was discontinued, Paul had over 5.3 million followers and 2 billion views on the app, where his brash humor and stunts especially appealed to a young audience. This notoriety among a young demographic landed Paul a role on Disney Channel (Tenbarge & Greenspan, 2020).” While Paul did in fact land a role with the Disney Channel, his bold personality wanted to do his own thing and create more daring content for his fans on Youtube.
“After getting fired by Disney midway through the second season of "Bizaardvark," Paul announced he would be moving onto more adult acting ventures and focusing on his YouTube channel, business ventures, and personal brand (Tenbarge & Greenspan, 2020).” However, being fired from Disney may have given Jake Paul’s best gift in life. The young social media superstar took over the Youtube platform by storm amassing over 20 million followers. Through his brilliant and strategic self-promotion, as well as his ability to market and produce content in a way that gets people to say his name for better or worse, Jake Paul turned millions of followers into an unexpected boxing career. He now sees himself as the main event for a pay-per-view blockbuster with Showtime Boxing.
In contrast to how Jake Paul received his fame, Tyron Woodley achieved greatness and respect through Mixed Martial Arts. A UFC legend and 5-time champion of the world, Tyron Woodley would love nothing more than to take everything away from Jake Paul. Tyron fought for 15 years in Mixed Martial Arts as a professional, and out of those 15, he was a champion for 3 years. When Woodley’s UFC contract expired in March, he started looking for an alternate route to pursue his next endeavor. It was at this moment that he found a niche for boxing.
However, If you are as intrigued by Jake Paul and the celebrity boxing community as I am, then it shouldn’t be hard to tell WHY this fight is happening. Jake’s last fight squared up against UFC Legend, Ben Askren. While Ben does not have the best striking/boxing ability, he is a former Olympic wrestler. Leading up to the fight, Askren and Woodley began training with each other to sharpen Askren’s striking skills. On the other hand, Jake has a keen ability to get under people's skin and often does childish things to embarrass others. He did not hesitate when he saw the chance to do this with Tyron Woodley.
While these two often seem very different on paper, it is hard to ignore the similarities between the two. Their work ethic and ability to go hardcore at everything they do are identical in the sense of the success and accomplishment that displays their efforts put forth. It is the mindsets like these that create big-time matches like this. There is no doubt that Jake Paul has injected a shot of energy and excitement into the boxing community on the status of pure entertainment. They have re-defined a way to display the sport of boxing through marketing and self-discipline.
So….. this is it…… On Sunday, August 29th in Cleveland Ohio, these two will meet at a destination in which they arrived from completely separate spectrums. Both Paul and Woodley desire to embarrass and defeat the other while defending their name and reputation. Will Jake Paul continue his rampage through the MMA community and climb the ladder of boxing? Or will Tyron Woodley crusade as the hero for UFC fans and take everything away that Jake Paul has earned? The truth will be told on Sunday, August 29th….See you there! Additional Info: Via DAZN: “The Paul vs. Woodley card takes place on Sunday, August 29. The main card begins at 8 p.m. ET in the United States and at 1 a.m. BST in the UK. Paul and Woodley are expected to make their walks to the ring at around 10:30 p.m. ET and 3:30 a.m. BST, pending on the outcome of the earlier main card fights.” WHAT CHANNEL/STREAM IS PAUL VS. WOODLEY? U.S.: Showtime UK: BT Sport Box Office The fight will be on BT Sport Box Office in the UK the Ireland - it will cost £16.95 in the UK and €29.99 in Ireland. It will cost $59.99 in the United States to watch on Showtime Sports. WHERE IS THE PAUL VS. WOODLEY FIGHT? The card will take place at the Rocket Mortgage Field House in Cleveland, Ohio. JAKE PAUL RECORD AND BIO Nationality: American Born: January 17, 1997 Height: 6'1" Reach: 76 inches Total Fights: 3 Record: 3-0 with 3 knockouts TYRON WOODLEY RECORD AND BIO Nationality: American Born: April 7, 1982 Height: 5'9" Reach: 74 inches Total Fights: 0 Record: 0 JAKE PAUL VS. TYRON WOODLEY FIGHT CARD Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley (Cruiserweight) Amanda Serrano v Yamileth Mercado – for WBC, WBO and IBO World Featherweight titles (Featherweight) Tommy Fury vs. Anthony Taylor (Light heavyweight) Daniel Dubois vs. Joe Cusumano (Heavyweight) Ivan Barancyhk vs. Montana Love (Super lightweight) Charles Conwell v Lucas Brian Ariel Bastida (Middleweight) Citations: Tenbarge, K., & Greenspan, R. E. (2020, November 30). Jake Paul's BIGGEST Controversies: How the Notorious youtuber found fame THROUGH SCANDAL. Insider. https://www.insider.com/jake-paul-controversies-timeline-looting-scandals-racist-slurs-drama-2020-6#pauls-first-major-career-accomplishment-was-a-role-on-the-disney-channel-series-bizaardvark-but-he-was-fired-mid-season-after-his-neighbors-went-public-with-complaints-about-him-1. Schuller, R. (2021, August 25). Paul vs Woodley: How much DOES PPV cost for Jake PAUL'S fight vs. TYRON WOODLEY?: DAZN News US. DAZN. https://www.dazn.com/en-US/news/boxing/paul-vs-woodley-how-much-does-ppv-cost-for-jake-pauls-fight-vs-tyron-woodley/1e4atqdxuzp9y1lpyntgg87don.