Jake Paul looks to continue building his career as a professional boxer on Sunday when he takes on former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in Cleveland. Paul, a social media superstar, will be trying to run his record to 4-0 against Woodley, who is making his professional boxing debut.
The fight is expected to be the biggest challenge of Paul's career after he picked up wins over a fellow social media influencer, a former NBA star and one of Woodley's friends, former UFC fighter Ben Askren. While Paul made light work of Askren, Woodley is a far more dangerous striker who picked up some highlight-reel knockouts in his accomplished UFC career.
Woodley ended his run with UFC on a sour note, however, with four straight losses after reaching the pinnacle of the sport with the 170-pound title and defending it four times. Now, at 39, Woodley looks to begin anew with the chance to shock many in the process.
The next opponent of Paul's career may also be on the card, with Tommy Fury taking on Anthony Taylor in a cruiserweight bout. Fury is the younger brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. Tommy Fury is 6-0 as a professional and is a heavy favorite to beat Anthony Taylor and possibly move on to a big showdown with Paul later in the year.
ion Amanda Serrano when she takes on Yamileth Mercado. Serrano is arguably one the best women's boxer on the planet with a 40-1-1 record and 30 knockouts to her name. She sits just one stoppage victory shy of tying Christy Martin for the all-time record by a woman regardless of weight class. Mercado could provide some resistance with an 18-2 record, but she has only stopped five opponents in her career.
Below is the complete fight card for Sunday night with odds via Caesars Sportsbook.
Fight card, odds
- Jake Paul -190 vs. Tyron Woodley +160, 190-pound catchweight (eight rounds)
- Amanda Serrano (c) -2000 vs. Yamileth Mercado +1000, unified women's featherweight titles
- Daniel Dubois -2000 vs. Joe Cusumano +1000, heavyweight (10 rounds)
- Ivan Baranchyk -220 vs. Montana Love +180, welterweight (10 rounds)
- Tommy Fury -1500 vs. Anthony Taylor +850, cruiserweight (six rounds)
Viewing Information
- Date: Aug. 29 | Start time: 8 p.m. ET (main card)
- Location: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse -- Cleveland, Ohio
- TV: Showtime PPV on all traditional cable and satellite providers | Live stream: Showtime.com or the Showtime App | Price: $59.99
Paul vs. Woodley predictions
Brian Campbell: Woodley represents the toughest challenge of Paul's brief pro career by a wide margin, meaning this remains a fight that either could win by knockout, seemingly at any time. Given that unpredictability, many of the advantages Woodley could bring as a boxer might not come into play should Paul succeed at making it a war from the jump. Expect Paul to truly get tested here and possibly end up needing to rise off the canvas for the first time. Yet it's a brief shootout that could be the perfect outcome to make the most of Paul's strength in a potentially dangerous fight. Paul, who is 15 years younger than Woodley, will use his four-inch height and natural weight advantages to win a thriller. Pick: Paul via TKO3
Brent Brookhouse: Size is not getting enough attention in the lead-up to this fight. Paul has massive physical advantages in addition to having spent far more time purely dedicated to boxing than Woodley, who has certainly trained striking longer, but in a context of having to worry about kicks, takedowns and submissions. MMA striking is not boxing and that does matter. Woodley has power but even so, it's been more than five years since he scored a knockout in MMA, facing smaller opponents and wearing smaller gloves. In his last UFC bout, Woodley managed to show some life offensively, trying to bring the fight to Vicente Luque before he was taken out and finished in the first round. If Woodley doesn't bring that same level of forward pressure against Paul and instead reverts to his worst fighting instincts of passively moving backward trying to time a single overhand right, this fight is not going to be the test most think it will be. Woodley is older, smaller and was chosen as Paul's opponent for a very clear reason. Pick: Paul via KO2
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