Jake Paul ahead of Tyron Woodley rematch talks pranks, schoolyard tactics and why he’s not the perfect role model
- The 24-year-old has upset traditional norms in two sports, boxing and mixed martial arts, by breaking rules with his unique – love him or hate him – personality
- Paul, who is set to fight former UFC champion Tyron Woodley for the second time this weekend, spoke to the Post about what makes him tick
In May this year during a pre-fight press conference for a boxing match between Logan Paul and Floyd Mayweather, Logan’s younger brother Jake snatched Mayweather’s hat. The stunt grabbed headlines around the world and infuriated the multimillionaire Mayweather.
But the immature schoolyard stunt offered a glimpse into the world of 24-year-old Jake Paul, that is to act on impulse and never ask for forgiveness.
On the surface, the social media personality turned professional boxer is the celebrity everyone loves to hate, but cannot get enough of, if his pay-per-view buys are any indication. While his antics are dismissed by most, one thing is undeniable: he has upset the traditions of one sport (boxing), and thrown a monkey wrench in another (mixed martial arts).
While the establishment works to dismiss him at every turn, Paul has found a way to push his name into the mainstream doing what he wants, when he wants, and answering to no one.
Paul, who is set to face former UFC champion Tyron Woodley this weekend in Tampa Bay, Florida (available via FITE outside of the US), a rematch booked after Tommy Fury dropped out because of injury, spoke to the Post about his approach to life and the method to all this madness, or if he is simply out to upset the order with pure chaos.
“There’s a grand plan for sure,” said Paul, who has now beaten two former UFC fighters which started with knocking out Ben Askren in spectacular fashion in April.
“People seem to forget that I’m an artist, I’m a visionary and all they are currently doing is watching my art. I’m painting in front of everybody and the world is my canvas.”
The American got his start uploading short video clips to a now defunct social media platform called Vine, then landed on a Disney show. But it was his foray into boxing that caught the world’s attention and turned its collective scorn towards his boyish good looks and unfiltered personality.
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Paul, who launched himself onto many people’s radar when he knocked out former NBA player Nate Robinson in November of 2020 in highlight reel fashion, said part of what he was trying to accomplish was to simply be true to his character.
“What it comes down to is, so many celebrities and athletes and people, they’re afraid to be who they truly are and express themselves just because of scrutiny,” he said. “And I think for me I’m just myself, and I’m shamelessly myself. I’m very authentic and authenticity is key in today’s media, people sense bull****.”
The goal, said Paul, was to insert himself into narratives by upsetting traditional norms and using the media’s power for his own promotional benefit. Paul boiled it down to one thing: “good news travels fast, but bad news travels faster.”
“Everything is a story,” he said. “You have to tell your story and get it out there, you are your own best promoter. On top of that I just work so f****** hard, it’s almost sick how hard I work when most people would be satisfied with what they’ve got or what they are doing.
“That’s really the key to all of this. You could be a visionary, you could be an artist but if you don’t work to back it up, then no one is ever going to see the picture that you’re eventually going to paint.”
Fans have responded to his innate ability to create press at every turn, and he boasts an impressive following on social media: 17 million on Instagram, 4 million on Twitter and 20 million YouTube subscribers. Love him or hate him, his reach is undeniable.
But Paul said he stops short of calling himself a role model for a younger generation hungry to capitalise on a world moving into the digital realm more each day.
“I’m not the perfect role model by any means, but I do wake up wanting to inspire kids and wanting to show them that if they came from nothing like me you can accomplish your wildest dreams sooner and faster than you thought. So I definitely want to inspire kids, but I definitely don’t wake up every day wanting to be their role model because that’s a battle where you are just built to lose.”
