It didn’t take long for Jake Paul to gain recognition for his efforts in the world of boxing.
Paul is set to return to action for his latest professional outing in the ring on Saturday, June 28, as he headlines an event at Honda Center in Anaheim.
After Paul’s victory over Mike Tyson in a record-breaking Netflix broadcast, ‘The Problem Child’ will next battle ex-WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. It will mark Paul’s 13th pro bout since his debut in 2020.
To this day, many in the combat sports community continue to push back on the Cleveland native’s boxing career. Detractors brand his résumé illegitimate owing to the competition he’s faced.
But while he still has many critics five years in, Paul quickly received praise for his efforts from some, resulting in a notable accolade in just his second year as a pro.
Jake Paul won ESPN Ringside’s 2021 Knockout of the Year award
Paul turned heads with his third performance of 2021. After wins over former UFC stars Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley, ‘The Problem Child’ was set to face Tommy Fury in December.
When injury left the Brit pulling out, Paul instead knocked out Woodley in their short-notice rematch, marking his biggest win up to that point.
The ex-Disney star shocked the masses when he connected with a brutal right hand that faceplanted ‘The Chosen One’ in round six of their main event at Tampa’s Amalie Arena.
That finish was so emphatic that it was even voted ESPN Ringside’s Knockout of the Year for 2021. That was over Tyson Fury’s finish against Deontay Wilder and Oscar Valdez’s stoppage versus Miguel Berchelt.
While Paul collected 56 percent of just north of 68,000 votes cast, ‘The Gypsy King’ came second with 37 percent.
Boxing community slammed Jake Paul’s award win
Unsurprisingly, given the criticism directed at Paul by boxing traditionalists, the decision to include Paul as a nominee after his result against a mixed martial artist drew plenty of backlash.
And equally as expected, the polarizing online star’s victory led to many angry reactions on social media.
“Honestly it’s a disgrace y’all even put this on the ballot. A guy who doesn’t fight real boxers and the other guy isn’t a boxer at all,” one fan wrote.
“It was a brutal KO but I kinda feel bad for the actual boxers like Valdez who kinda deserve it more.”
“State of boxing nowadays.”
“That’s embarrassing”
“Are you kidding?”
“Why? This is disgusting. Such a disgrace, such a disrespect to boxers that gave their entire lives trying to compete and reach the top.”
“So KOing people who aren’t boxers wins awards now?”
Paul will now look to throw his name in the mix for the 2025 award by putting on a violent display at the expense of Chavez Jr on June 28.