On Aug. 29, Youtuber Jake Paul and former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champion, Tyron Woodley, squared off in the ring to find out who the better boxer was. Overall the match was very close however Paul ultimately pulled away with the victory winning by split decision. There was much controversy on whether or not the match was rigged which led to a rematch taking place in Tampa on Dec. 8 to which Paul won in the 6 round by knockout.

“I think Jake proved a lot of people wrong especially his doubters which is huge,” Sander Johnson (‘23) said.

Originally, Paul was scheduled to face the World Boxing Organization (WBO) heavyweight champion’s little brother, Tommy Fury in a 8 round bout however Fury pulled out due to medical reasons, leading to the highly anticipated rematch between Paul and Woodley.

“Not going to lie, I was looking forward to the Fury vs Paul fight but the match we got was a really good one especially to see live,” Johnson said.

The Paul brothers are the subject of debate in the boxing world as Jake’s brother Logan took on arguably one of the best boxers ever Floyd Mayweather in an 8 round exhibition match in Miami Florida. Many of the traditional boxing fans think the Paul’s have been bad for the sport due to their lack of experience but others argue that they are a breath of fresh air to a sport that many can agree has declined in the past couple of years.

“You could tell Woodley was locked in but I think Paul got the better of him that night,” William Fliss (‘23) said.

The match took place on Saturday, Dec. 18 in Amalie Arena. Official weigh-ins took place the day before the match at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. What is next for both fighters after Saturday is of the unknown.