Here’s What We Know So Far

Jake Paul’s next opponent is likely set. As I’ve expected for months, Paul will climb into the ring to face Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in his next fight. According to Mike Coppinger of The Ring Magazine, Paul will clash with Chavez Jr. “this summer” in a cruiserweight bout, but the date hasn’t been set as of yet.

The expectation is for the fight to land on Netflix again, but even that hasn’t been confirmed. Paul, who defeated the legendary Mike Tyson via unanimous decision in November 2024, carries a professional record of 11-1 with 7 KOs.

Chavez Jr., 39, a former world champion, has a pro record of 54-6-1 with 34 KOs. In his last fight, Chavez scored a unanimous-decision win over former UFC fighter Uriah Hall in July 2024.

Chavez Jr. took to Instagram after Paul-Tyson, and he called out the YouTuber-turned-boxer, but the Problem Child mostly ghosted the second-generation fighter’s overtures. However, with proposed fights against Canelo Alvarez and Tommy Fury failing to come to fruition, it appears Chavez Jr. is the backup plan.

I wrote on Wednesday that the former world champion is an ideal opponent for Paul at this stage of his career. And I still believe that’s the case.

Despite Paul’s massive celebrity, he’s still a man with no amateur pedigree and only 12 professional fights—against mostly non-boxers on his resume. Paul’s competition should be light and gradually upgraded, but oftentimes that concept gets lost in the bright shine of the megastar.

While many felt the fight with Tyson was a gross mismatch because of the 28-year age gap, this fight with Chavez Jr. would be far less of an egregious battle of ages.

Paul is only 11 years younger than Chavez Jr., and even BoxRec only rates the latter as a two-star fighter, while the former is one-and-a-half stars.

It will be interesting to see what route Paul and MVP Promotions take as it pertains to the hype for this fight. Paul already began the buildup on Thursday when he released a teaser that candidly admitted to his attempts to fight bigger names.

Take a look:

There doesn’t appear to be any tells in the video that suggest Chavez Jr. is the pick, but rumors that he would be next for Paul began from other sources days before Coppinger added more detail and validity with his report on Thursday evening.

As far as lines on this fight, I’d expect Paul to be a massive favorite. Quite honestly, that’s an insult to Chavez Jr. For a man who went the distance with Canelo eight years ago (though it was a 12-0 shutout) and who was a world champion 13 years ago, the odds should not be as widely in Paul’s favor as they figure to be.

Chavez Jr. has almost always seemingly struggled with condition, dedication, and discipline. While he possessed undeniable gifts—like a sturdy chin, great size, and strong body-punching ability—he never reached the heights most expected from him being the son of a legend.

In any case, he is set up to get what will likely be a huge payday—especially considering how far removed he is from being a top-tier fighter.

It’ll be interesting to see who lands on the undercard. Would Paul hop on the Amanda Serrano vs. Katie Taylor card that is set for July 11 at Madison Square Garden? Paul would probably make his fight the co-main event, but it might be an awkward fit considering his scrap with Chavez Jr. will draw more eyeballs.

We’ll see, but it seems the official announcement is imminent.