Real or Not: Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley was a big win for boxing

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4 years ago

August 31, 2021

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7:21 AM ET

Jake Paul had the combat sports world buzzing after his latest victory on Sunday night. Paul defeated former UFC champion Tyron Woodley by split decision in Cleveland, moving to 4-0 as a professional boxer and raising his profile as a fighter once again. Paul, despite tweeting that he’s a “retired boxer” on Monday, is expected to return to the ring later on this year, but is his biggest challenge at this point finding the right opponent? He’s clearly a draw in the pay-per-view space, but staying there will require the right balance of appeal and challenge in an opponent.

While this weekend saw the boxing world’s attention turn towards spectacle, Teofimo Lopez — one of the sport’s most promising young champions — will make his debut in the pay-per-view space this October against George Kambosos. The fight for Lopez’s four belts will take place on a Tuesday night at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, as Triller faced numerous challenges in rescheduling the event after Lopez contracting COVID-19 earlier this summer. The IBF has mandated that both fighters be vaccinated with hopes of avoiding another delay to this bout. So is this the direction boxing is heading? And if so, is it good for the sport?

On Saturday Josh Warrington hopes to rebound in a rematch against Mauricio Lara following a shock ninth-round knockout loss. Warrington still has title aspirations, but is a win enough to get him back on track? Before Warrington enters the ring, Katie Taylor makes another defense of her undisputed lightweight championship on the undercard. After Amanda Serrano’s win on Sunday, does Taylor have something to prove in terms of pound-for-pound supremacy?

Marc Raimondi, Mike Coppinger, Ben Baby, Mike Rothstein and Nick Parkinson separate what’s real and what’s not.

Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley was a win for the sport of boxing

Raimondi: I was sitting on press row, floor level at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland on Sunday night for the Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley fight. During the undercard, a young spectator — he couldn’t have been more than 16 years old — came over to the reporters seated there and asked, flashing a $10 bill, if he could buy a bottle of water from one of us. The concessions stands, he said, did not take cash and he did not own a credit card. A few minutes later, a baby-faced, 21-year-old YouTuber who goes by the handle ConnorTV sauntered over with his father to ask if we had a USB-C cord he could use to charge his video camera.

For nearly a decade, I have covered combat sports as a full-time living. The first fight I ever covered was in 2006. I’ve been at fights in dozens of cities, countries and a few different continents. And Paul vs. Woodley had by far the youngest crowd I have ever seen in MMA or boxing. ConnorTV told me this was his first boxing show and he had started gaining interest in combat sports because of Paul, the YouTube-sensation-turned prizefighter.

It might be difficult for some of us who have been around for a while to understand, but what Paul and his team are saying is true. He really is bringing younger eyes to boxing and there’s no way to see that other than it being a win for the sport. So, I will say “real” to this statement, absolutely.

There’s another key here that must be mentioned. The crowd in Cleveland did not fill in for the main event between Paul and Woodley or the co-feature, which pitted pound-for-pound women’s great Amanda Serrano against Yamileth Mercado. That would be the norm for a boxing card of this magnitude. No, the arena was almost full for the prelim fight between Charles Conwell and Juan Carlos Rubio at 7 p.m. local time.

By the time Tommy Fury walked out to open the pay-per-view portion of the proceedings, the crowd was large enough to give him an enormous pop. Fury had never even fought in the United States before, but he was positioned as a star by Showtime, Paul and his team last week. And he was treated as such. Of course, his family name and status as a former cast member of Love Island in the United Kingdom didn’t hurt. But normally, at that point in a boxing show, the venue is half full at best and there is little interest in the fights in the ring.

Paul brought a young and captive audience to Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Sunday night — young men and women. His main event fight with Woodley was not the best presentation of boxing possible. Both are neophytes in that world and, frankly, it just did not at all look like a high-level fight. But the fans there treated it like it was. And they were brought to their feet by the likes of Fury, Cleveland prospect Montana Love and Serrano.

Half the battle in entertainment is just getting people in the door and get eyes on the product. Say what you will about Paul, but there were plenty of teenagers and young 20-somethings who left the building Sunday night entertained by a night of boxing. For a sport with a fanbase that skews on the older side, that’s a win. Regardless of how you feel about Paul, his personality and his antics.

Mandated vaccination for fighters is good for boxing

Baby: Real. Big fights are already a risky proposition. All it takes is an injury and a fight is either scrapped or devalued (see Pacquiao-Ugas). And a fighter contracting COVID-19 and delaying a fight could be have serious financial repercussions — a situation that a vaccine can mitigate in short order, or outright prevent. Look at what happened with Triller in regards to Lopez-Kambosos. After winning the purse bid, Triller was left holding the bag when Lopez tested positive for COVID-19 just days out from the fight. Now the IBF has stated that both Lopez and Kambosos will need to be vaccinated ahead of their bout in October.

A quick glance at major sports and big companies should tell people all they need to know: When big money is involved, vaccines are required. Sure, there might be a legitimate reason someone doesn’t want the vaccine under specific circumstances, but the larger debate over vaccinations is often thrown out when that becomes a threat to profit margins.

It’s worth noting that Lopez also took a potential long-term financial hit as well. Initially, Triller was selling the pay-per-view with a price tag that reached $60. After the postponement, the price dropped to $20 for a one-time purchase, the fight will be on a Tuesday instead of a Saturday, and the venue went from inside Miami’s Marlins Park to the side theater at Madison Square Garden.

It’s a branding hit and a career heat check that Lopez could have avoided if he didn’t contract COVID-19 and fought Kambosos in June. Instead, he’s relegated to a mid-week card with significant questions about his drawing power moving forward.

Even with his KO streak over, Edgar Berlanga is still must-see TV

Coppinger: Real. Even in his first fight that went the distance — his first time even experiencing Round 2, for that matter — Berlanga proved his power is genuine with four knockdowns over eight rounds. Nicholson was his toughest foe on paper, and as the competition continues to stiffen, the knockouts will be harder to come by.

Still, Berlanga will always present danger in the ring, making him must-see TV. If he wants to maintain that status, he’ll need a KO of Marcelo Esteban Coceres on Oct. 9. He’ll return on Dec. 11 if all goes well, before another fight in March. If he can get back to knocking opponents out, the June fight, which is expected to be a major step up in competition and promotion, could be the bout that catapults him to stardom.

There are already plans underway to match him with a former champion on the Puerto Rican Parade Weekend in New York next summer.

One thing is clear: Berlanga knows how to market himself outside the ring.

Katie Taylor is the most entertaining fighter in women’s boxing

Rothstein: Not real. Amanda Serrano — who fought Sunday night — remains the most entertaining fighter in the sport. The best? That remains to be seen. But the way she fights is incredibly watchable. That’s not to dismiss Katie Taylor, who is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. She beat Jessica McCaskill. She beat Delfine Persoon twice. She has really good speed and stamina. But from a pure entertainment factor, no one surpasses Serrano.

The reality is a fight between Serrano and Taylor, as long as Taylor beats Jennifer Han this weekend, is the fight to make. Serrano told me last month she wanted to unify her division first before taking the fight against Taylor, but at this point it might be worth it to fight Taylor next.

Women’s boxing could use a superfight like that, and it would be an incredibly entertaining fight between two of the best in the sport.

Josh Warrington will regain his title contender status with a win over Mauricio Lara

Parkinson: Real, providing Warrington’s promoter Eddie Hearn can convince Gary Russell Jr to defend his WBC world featherweight title against Warrington in the next six months.

Warrington (30-1, 7 KOs) feels aggrieved that the first defeat of his career — a shock ninth-round stoppage loss to unheralded Mexican Mauricio Lara in February — would be so costly. Warrington, 30, went into the fight with Lara, which was supposed to be a warm-up for a bigger assignment this summer, as ESPN’s No 1 featherweight. But that defeat, after he decided to voluntarily give up the IBF world featherweight title in January so he could pick his own fights, has left Warrington out of reach for a title shot. The Leeds boxer trails in the governing bodies’ rankings: He is No 6 with the WBC, and does not feature at all in the other three bodies’ lists of contenders.

Warrington has watched with frustration at how his English rival Kid Galahad went straight into an IBF world title eliminator, after losing by split decision to him for the IBF world title in Galahad’s previous fight in June 2019. Warrington feels that victory over Lara should catapult him back into title contention, perhaps occupying one of the IBF’s top two spots, which are currently vacant.

However, Warrington has no interest in a rematch with Galahad — it was one of the reasons he vacated the IBF belt at the start of the year. He’s more likely to pursue a title shot with one of the division’s other champions: Russell Jr. or Emanuel Navarrete. ESPN’s Mike Coppinger recently reported that Los Angeles-based Navarrete (34-1, 29 KOs) has agreed terms with Joet Gonzalez for a defense of his WBO featherweight title on Oct. 16, which rules out Navarrete for Warrington until 2022.

But Russell would be available for this year, and as he has not fought since February 2020, it would stand to reason that he would be receptive to offers. Russell (31-1, 18 KOs), 33, a 2008 U.S. Olympian, has not been a busy fighter, after making one appearance per year from 2015 to 2020. He has yet to announce an opponent for 2021 and would be Warrington’s best hope — and first choice — for a title fight.

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Canucks’ Buium: Not misled by Wild before trade

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3 hours ago

December 15, 2025

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Canucks' Buium: Not misled by Wild before trade

Greg WyshynskiDec 14, 2025, 04:36 PM ET
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NEWARK, N.J. — Zeev Buium was the Minnesota Wild‘s defenseman of the future until they made him the centerpiece of the Quinn Hughes trade last Friday, shipping the 20-year-old in a package to the Vancouver Canucks for their star captain.

Buium said he doesn’t feel he was misled about his status with the Wild before the trade.

“I don’t think anything they told me was a lie. I really don’t,” Buium said Sunday after the Canucks’ 2-1 road victory over the New Jersey Devils. “[Wild GM] Bill Guerin is an unbelievable person. He’s such a smart guy. He wants to try and win now, and that’s a move he thought was best for the team. At the end of the day, you have to do what’s best for the team.”

Buium was traded to Vancouver along with center Marco Rossi, winger Liam Ohgren and a 2026 first-round pick for Hughes, the 26-year-old Norris Trophy winner who is considered one of the best defensemen in hockey. Hughes had 432 points in 459 games heading into Sunday’s action and was the leading scorer on Vancouver (23 points in 26 games) before Friday’s blockbuster trade.

Buium had two points in his debut with the Canucks, both on the power play. He earned an assist on Jake DeBrusk‘s opening goal and then was credited with his fourth goal of the season when his pass deflected off the stick of Devils defenseman Brenden Dillon.

He was drafted 12th overall in 2024 by the Wild and was an offensive dynamo with the University of Denver for two seasons (98 points in 83 games). He had 14 points in 31 games as a rookie this season before the trade.

Guerin called Buium a “special kid and a special human,” but he indicated that the Wild’s bid for Hughes was only successful because Buium was a part of it.

“I love that kid, but you have to give something to get something,” Guerin said.

Buium didn’t take the trade personally, but he said he’ll use it as motivation.

“I don’t think it’s [Guerin] saying, ‘You’re not good enough’ or ‘We don’t believe in you.’ But I think he sees me needing to develop a little bit more,” Buium said. “I think it works out for both teams. I’m going to do my best to show the Canucks that they made a good trade. Hopefully, I can turn into a player like that.”

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Hughes scores in winning Wild debut after trade

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3 hours ago

December 15, 2025

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Hughes scores in winning Wild debut after trade

Associated Press

Dec 14, 2025, 09:28 PM ET

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Quinn Hughes scored in his Minnesota debut and the Wild beat the Boston Bruins 6-2 on Sunday for their fourth straight win.

Kirill Kaprizov had two goals and an assist for the Wild, who improved to 16-3-2 since Nov. 1, including 10-0-2 at home.

Ryan Hartman had a goal and two assists, Matt Boldy had a goal and an assist and Jared Spurgeon also scored for Minnesota. Filip Gustavsson made 29 saves, improving to 6-1-1 with a 1.84 goals-against average and .931 save percentage in his past eight starts.

Alex Steeves and Andrew Peeke scored, and Jeremy Swayman made 25 saves for Boston.

Playing his first game with the Wild after being acquired in a blockbuster trade with Vancouver on Friday, Hughes took a drop pass from Hartman in the opening minute of the third period and put a low wrist shot between Swayman’s pads to make it 4-0.

Hughes, who led all defensemen with 92 points in 2023-24, was paired with Brock Faber on Minnesota’s top blue-line pair and quarterbacked the first power-play unit. Faber had two assists.

Spurgeon scored his first goal in 30 games when his wrist shot found its way through traffic for a power-play tally midway through the first period for a 1-0 lead.

Midway through the second period, Kaprizov doubled the Wild lead thanks to a fortuitous carom. Boldy’s shot was deflected by a defenseman but quickly ricocheted off the end boards to Kaprizov who tucked the puck past Swayman at the right post.

Faber split a pair of defenders and fed Hartman for an easy redirect less than four minutes later for the Wild’s second power-play tally.

Boldy made it 5-0 before Steeves scored off a scramble midway through the third period. Kaprizov made it 6-1 with his 20th of the season with 5:05 remaining, and Peeke scored in the final second of the third period.

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Who will hoist the Heisman in 2026? A way-too-early look

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14 hours ago

December 14, 2025

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Who will hoist the Heisman in 2026? A way-too-early look

Mark SchlabachDec 13, 2025, 08:00 PM ET
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- Senior college football writer
- Author of seven books on college football
- Graduate of the University of Georgia

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who led the No. 1 Hoosiers to a perfect 13-0 record and their first Big Ten title since 1967, captured the 91st Heisman Trophy on Saturday night.

Mendoza beat out quarterbacks Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt) and Julian Sayin (Ohio State) and running back Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame) to take home the trophy during a ceremony in New York.

Mendoza, who played two seasons at California before joining the Hoosiers this season, completed 71.5% of his pass attempts for 2,980 yards with 39 total touchdowns.

He was only the second Heisman Trophy finalist from Indiana. Running back Anthony Thompson was runner-up to Houston quarterback Andre Ware in one of the closest votes in 1989.

With Mendoza, Pavia and Love expected to move on to the NFL after this season, who are the top returning Heisman Trophy candidates for 2026?

In compiling the list of potential candidates, I projected that quarterbacks John Mateer (Oklahoma), Ty Simpson (Alabama) and Dante Moore (Oregon); receivers Carnell Tate (Ohio State), Zachariah Branch (Georgia) and Makai Lemon (USC); and running back Emmett Johnson (Nebraska) will turn pro (along with the aforementioned finalists from this year).

Here is a look at some of the top potential contenders (in no particular order):

2025 stats: 80 catches, 1,086 receiving yards, 12 total touchdowns

Smith’s highlight reel of acrobatic, one-handed catches continues to grow, and he arguably has been the best player in college football this season. He was the fastest Buckeyes player to reach career marks of 2,000 receiving yards (24 games), 100 catches (20) and 25 touchdown receptions (25).

2025 stats: 78.4% completion pct, 3,323 passing yards, 31 touchdowns, 6 interceptions

Sayin might have captured the Heisman Trophy this season if Ohio State’s offense hadn’t flopped in its 13-10 loss to Indiana in the Big Ten championship game. In his first season as a starter, Sayin is on pace to break the NCAA single-season pass completion record of 77.4%, set by Oregon’s Bo Nix in 2023.

2025 stats: 70.7% completion pct, 2,691 passing yards, 442 rushing yards, 31 total touchdowns

In his first full season as Georgia’s starting quarterback, Stockton helped guide the Bulldogs to a 12-1 record and SEC title. His legs and right arm were a big reason the Bulldogs averaged 31.9 points, despite enduring myriad injuries on the offensive line. Stockton was at his best when the game was on the line — he completed 86% of his passes with 11 touchdowns and one interception in the fourth quarter against ranked opponents.

2025 stats: 84 receptions, 970 receiving yards, 7 receiving touchdowns

Toney’s teammates call him “Baby Jesus,” and the true freshman delivered in a big way in his first season with the No. 10 Hurricanes. He ranks sixth in the FBS with 84 catches and had 1,328 all-purpose yards. Toney even threw for two scores. Not bad for an 18-year-old who would be a senior in high school if he hadn’t reclassified to the class of 2025.

2025 stats: 61.4% completion pct, 2,942 passing yards, 32 total touchdowns

Even after all the hand-wringing about Manning being overrated at the start of the season, the former five-star recruit ended up putting together a good campaign, throwing for 2,942 yards with 24 touchdowns. The No. 13 Longhorns need to find some offensive linemen (he was sacked 23 times) and receivers to help him in 2026.

2025 stats: 65.5% completion pct, 3,016 passing yards, 24 total touchdowns

Ole Miss officials have submitted a waiver to the NCAA on Chambliss’ behalf for another season of eligibility. He played his first three seasons at Division II Ferris State before transferring to Ole Miss this year. He was named SEC Newcomer of the Year after taking over the starting job in the third game of the season.

2025 stats: 1,560 rushing yards, 16 touchdowns

A transfer from Louisiana-Monroe, Hardy led the FBS with 130 rushing yards per game and was No. 2 with 1,560 total rushing yards. He had eight 100-yard games for the Tigers, including a whopping 300-yard effort with three touchdowns in a 49-27 victory against Mississippi State on Nov. 15.

2025 stats: 61.8% completion pct, 2,932 passing yards, 466 rushing yards, 31 total touchdowns

Reed announced this week that he plans to stay at Texas A&M next season, which is great news for the No. 7 Aggies. He was a threat with the ball in his hands, throwing for 2,932 yards with 25 touchdowns and running for 466 yards with six scores. His decision-making needs to continue to improve, so he can cut down on his 10 interceptions.

2025 stats: 63.6% completion pct, 3,117 passing yards, 20 total touchdowns

There’s a reason new Bears coach Tosh Lupoi took a late-night flight to Hawai’i to make sure Sagapolutele was staying at Cal. He was only the second true freshman in FBS history to pass for 200 yards or more in each of his first 11 starts. In the Bears’ late-season upsets of then-No. 21 SMU and No. 15 Louisville, Sagapolutele passed for a combined 653 yards with six touchdowns and no picks.

2025 stats: 1,279 rushing yards, 20 touchdowns

After transferring from Missouri, Lacy helped the No. 6 Rebels win 11 games in the regular season for the first time. He ranks No. 2 in the FBS with 20 rushing touchdowns and piled up 1,279 yards on the ground. Will he follow former coach Lane Kiffin to LSU or remain with the Rebels in 2026?

2025 stats: 66.2% completion pct, 3,431 passing yards, 29 total touchdowns

If Maiava returns to the No. 16 Trojans for another season, he’ll probably flourish in Lincoln Riley’s offense. This year, he threw for 3,431 yards with 23 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He ranks No. 1 with a 91.2 total QBR. According to Pro Football Focus, he was second in the FBS with 26 big-time throws. (A big-time throw is defined as a high-difficulty, high-value pass.)

2025 stats: 1,035 rushing yards, 6 total touchdowns

Jackson became the fifth true freshman in OSU history to produce a 1,000-yard season, joining Robert Smith (1990), Maurice Clarett (2002), JK Dobbins (2017) and TreVeyon Henderson (2021). That’s good company. And, of course, he’d be the second Bo Jackson to collect a stiff-armed trophy.

2025 stats: 70.2% completion pct, 4,129 passing yards, 36 total touchdowns

Mestemaker is one of the best stories in college football. He didn’t start a single game in high school, then joined North Texas as a walk-on. This season, he led the FBS with 4,129 passing yards, helping him capture the Burlsworth Trophy as the top walk-on in the country. Will he join former Mean Green coach Eric Morris at Oklahoma State in 2026?

CJ Carr, QB, Notre Dame

2025 starts: 66.6% completion pct, 2,741 passing yards, 24 touchdowns

Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman entrusted Carr to lead his offense after a heated battle in preseason camp. The decision paid off, as Carr put together one of the best performances by a first-time starter in Notre Dame history. He threw for at least one touchdown in each of his first 12 starts, becoming the first Irish player to do that since Everett Golson in 2012-14. Carr’s 24 passing touchdowns are tied for the most in the first 12 starts by a Notre Dame player since 1966.

2025 stats: 70% completion pct, 2,850 passing yards, 595 rushing yards, 27 total touchdowns

Williams is one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the FBS, and his ability to run and throw was on display in the Huskies’ 38-19 victory against Rutgers on Oct. 10. He became the first player in school history to pass for at least 400 yards (400) and run for at least 100 (136) in the same game. Williams was second on the team with 595 rushing yards.

Others to watch: Sam Leavitt, QB, TBA; Cam Coleman, WR, Auburn; Brendan Sorsby, QB, Cincinnati; Josh Hoover, QB, TCU; Darian Mensah, QB, Duke; Nate Frazier, RB, Georgia; LJ Martin, RB, BYU; Bear Bachmeier, QB, BYU; LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina; Bryce Underwood, QB, Michigan