American mixed martial arts legend Demetrious Johnson has taken note of what YouTuber Jake Paul has done in boxing the past few years. However, he believes the former Disney star’s skill set still needs more refining.
Since 2020, Jake Paul has taken boxing by storm, competing in well-received matches against noted athletes from other sports and has actually done well, winning seven of eight professional fights.
Among those he has beaten are professional basketball player Nate Robinson and MMA superstars Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz. His lone defeat so far came at the hands of English pro pugilist Tommy Fury by split decision.
In an interview on The MMA Hour, Demetrious Johnson shared his take on the skill set of 26-year-old Paul:
“I mean, you’re making all that money and it’s great. But do you wanna be a legit boxer or do you just wanna keep making this kinda money box? Like, what do you wanna do? And if you see Nate (shelling up) all the time, you should step back [and throw a one-two]. He’s gonna swing, and there goes your right hand.”
He added:
“You throw punches to create the opening instead of trying to look for the opening. You’re never going to find the opening, because you’re looking for it. You got to [throw combinations and finish with a strong punch]. That’s your opening right there… So, I don’t know. He’s got great coaches, but for me, an analyst and an athlete, those are the things I see. And that’s just a little breakdown I’d like to do.”
Check out the interview below:
Demetrious Johnson was last in action in May, when he headlined ONE Championship’s first-ever live on-ground event in the United States. There, he successfully defended the ONE flyweight MMA world title by defeating Brazilian rival Adriano Moraes by unanimous decision in their trilogy title fight.
Heading into the contest, Demetrious Johnson hinted that it was going to be his swan song, but up to this point there is no official word on it yet.
