Jake Paul To Face Former World Champion As Next Opponent & Date Officially Set

Jake Paul will face the son of a Mexican legend and International Boxing Hall of Famer.

Mike Tyson (black gloves) fights Jake Paul (silver gloves) at AT&T Stadium. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Jake Paul's return to the squared circle appears to be set.

The Ring's Mike Coppinger reported that Paul will face Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in a cruiserweight bout on June 28 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. on DAZN PPV. Chavez Jr. is the son of Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., who is an International Boxing Hall of Famer and widely viewed as the greatest Mexican fighter of all time.

Chavez Sr. began his career 87-0 before fighting to a draw against fellow top pound-for-pound boxer Pernell Whittaker and didn't suffer his first defeat until his 91st bout, a split decision loss to Frankie Randall.

Paul later made the news official with a post on X.

"Five years ago, I stepped into the ring for my pro debut after 1 amateur fight, and every fight since has been a step towards becoming world champion," Paul wrote. "I just defeated the baddest man on the planet and broke multiple records, and now I’m going against a former world champion with 54 wins who Canelo could barely beat."

Unified super middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) faced Chavez Jr. in a catchweight bout at 164 pounds on May 6, 2017, and won every round on all three judges' scorecards.

For Paul, it'll be his first fight since his unanimous decision victory over former heavyweight champion and Hall of Famer Mike Tyson on Nov. 15, which was one of boxing's most commercially successful events.

Chavez Jr. (54-6-1, 34 KOs), who is a former middleweight champion, last fought on July 20 when he defeated former UFC fighter Uriah Hall by unanimous decision on the undercard of Paul vs. Mike Perry in Tampa, FL. Paul stopped Perry in the 6th round.

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Paul (11-1, 7 KOs) and Chavez Jr. boast one common opponent, Anderson Silva, who was a former pound-for-pound great MMA fighter and former UFC middleweight champion. Paul defeated Silva by unanimous decision in an 8-round bout on Oct. 29, 2022, while Silva defeated Chavez Jr. on June 19, 2021, by split decision.

Unified WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez will defend his titles against longtime contender Yuniel Dorticos in the co-feature.

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