Paul beats Woodley by decision to stay undefeated

Jake Paul is still undefeated after going to the scorecards for the first time in his professional boxing career.

The YouTube star defeated former UFC champion Tyron Woodley via split decision (77-75, 75-77, 78-74) in a highly anticipated match Sunday night in Cleveland.

Paul stayed busier than Woodley on the feet for most of the fight, landing more punches and controlling the distance. He edged Woodley 71-52 in total strikes, according to Sporting News' Andreas Hale. Paul had a significant 36-11 advantage in jabs landed, while Woodley topped him 41-35 in power punches, per ESPN.

Woodley's biggest moment came in the fourth round when he rocked Paul with a right hand, but Paul survived and the 39-year-old struggled to stay active during many of the other rounds. Paul bounced back well in the fifth frame and scored the crisper shots down the stretch.

"It was a tougher fight than I expected," Paul said in his postfight interview. "My legs felt weird since the locker room. I don't know what's wrong with me. (Woodley) is a tough opponent. All respect to Tyron. He's a Hall of Famer. He put up a good fight. He's a good boxer. He came in shape. I have nothing but respect for him."

Paul added that it was "bullshit" that one judge scored the fight for Woodley.

"He hit me with one shot the whole fight," Paul said. "It was a good shot. He hit me with more shots, but I'm saying a real shot ... I don't know what they were looking at, but it's all good."

Woodley said he thought he should've won the decision and called for an immediate rematch.

"I landed more power shots," Woodley said. "When he threw the shots, they were hitting my glove. When he landed a clean shot - which he did, he landed clean shots, and I knew he had heavy hands - I didn't hit the ground like his other opponents. I walked him down and I landed back. So let's run it back."

Paul didn't initially seem keen on a rematch with Woodley, telling the former UFC champion, "You had your opportunity." But moments later, the internet personality said a rematch would go ahead if Woodley got a tattoo that said "I love Jake Paul." Before Sunday's tilt, the two agreed to a bet that the loser would get a tattoo that either says "I love Jake Paul" or "I love Tyron Woodley."

"Bet," Woodley said before shaking hands with Paul. "Let's go."

"We have the tattoo artist right here, so you ain't going nowhere," Paul said to Woodley. "Wipe the sweat off and shave that leg, because I'm putting 'I love Jake Paul' on your f------ leg. And then we can run it back."

However, at the postfight press conference, Paul was noncommittal about a rematch.

"The Problem Child" improved to 4-0 with the triumph over Woodley, and 2-0 this year after knocking out Ben Askren - a former UFC fighter and Woodley's longtime teammate - in the first round of their April bout. Paul hadn't fought past the second round before Sunday, finishing Askren and Ali Eson Gib in the first round and Nate Robinson in the second.

Woodley stepped into the ring for the first time, falling to 0-1 as a pro boxer. He's one of the greatest welterweights in MMA history, but "The Chosen One" parted ways with the UFC earlier in 2021 after a rough stretch of four straight defeats.

Woodley hasn't been victorious in combat sports since September 2018, which marked his last successful title defense before losing the belt to Kamaru Usman in 2019.