Jake Paul’s Top 15 ranking received a surprising, positive review from the current cruiserweight titleholder.
Jake Paul extended his current winning streak by defeating Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. last month by unanimous decision. Just hours after his victory, Paul entered the cruiserweight rankings for the first time in his polarizing career, coming in at No. 14.
After Paul’s ranking, several contenders reached out to WBA with scathing criticism of the ruling, which led to his ranking now being put ‘under review’ by the association. It’s uncertain if Paul’s ranking will be pulled or if he’ll remain at his current Top 15 spot.
Paul has drawn heavy criticism throughout his boxing career, most recently from interim WBC titleholder Vergil Ortiz Jr. After becoming eligible for a potential cruiserweight title shot, Paul received a surprising defense from WBA cruiserweight titleholder Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez.
Jake Paul gets a surprising defense of Top 15 ranking from WBA champ
Paul and Ramirez had a brief faceoff after Paul’s victory over Chavez. Paul has called Ramirez ‘easy work’ and ‘too slow’ as he attempts to lure the cruiserweight champion towards a booking.
Despite Paul’s trash talk, Ramirez has an interesting perspective on Paul’s WBA ranking, contradictory to many of the division’s vocal contenders.
In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Ramirez was asked about critics of Paul’s Top 15 cruiserweight ranking, and provided a surprising response.
“He made a statement, beat one of the [former] champions from Mexico,” Ramirez said.
“It was a great performance for what he did, and I give credit to Jake Paul because at the end of the day, he fought a world champion. He’s doing good in this sport…everyone knows it won’t be a fair fight because I’m a champion, world-class champion, No. 1 ranking…
“People know him and at the end of the day, I want to unify the undisputed title, and that’s my goal.”
Ramirez, on the same night Paul defeated Chavez, outpointed Yuniel Dorticos by unanimous decision to retain the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles. He’s won four consecutive fights since suffering his first career loss to Dmitry Bivol in Nov. 2022.
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Jake Paul’s comeback confirmed just weeks after Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. win
As the debate rages on regarding Paul’s cruiserweight standing, the polarizing boxer could be just a few months away from a return to the ring. Paul’s manager Nakisa Bidarian announced that he’s targeting a return to boxing in either November or December against a to-be-determined opponent.
Ramirez could potentially face Paul for his next title defense, depending on where Paul’s ranking stands after the coming weeks. Paul has repeatedly expressed interest in becoming a world champion before hanging up the gloves.
We’ll continue to update you on this developing story as details become available.
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