Jake Paul to fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at cruiserweight
Jake Paul has lined up his next fight.
Paul is set to face former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in a cruiserweight bout June 28 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, Most Valuable Promotions told ESPN's Andreas Hale.
The 10-round fight will be broadcast on DAZN pay-per-view and will be co-promoted by MVP and Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy promotions.
"Five years ago, I stepped into the ring for my pro debut after a single amateur fight, and every fight since has been a step towards becoming world champion. I just defeated the baddest man on the planet, and now I'm going against a former champion who conman Canelo couldn't finish," Jake Paul said in a statement.
Paul's had a tough time finding his next opponent ever since defeating 58-year-old ex-heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in November. The YouTuber-turned-boxer appeared to have reached a deal to face superstar fighter Canelo Álvarez, only to have the reigning super-middleweight champion close a multi-fight deal with Riyadh Season instead. He was also reportedly in talks with Gervonta Davis about an exhibition fight before "Tank" faced Lamont Roach Jr. in March.
"The Problem Child" owns a 11-1 record as a professional, with seven of those victories coming via knockout. Paul's lone loss came in a split-decision defeat against Tommy Fury in February 2023.
Chavez, 39, held the WBC middleweight title from 2011-12 and successfully defended that belt three times. He owns a lifetime record of 54-6-1 with one no-contest and 34 knockout victories.
The Mexico native's most recent fight was a six-round unanimous win over ex-MMA star Uriah Hall this past July, a bout that was on the undercard of Paul's tilt against Mike Perry. However, that win was Chavez's first fight in three years.
"First of all, I will show what I can do now that everything is in the right place in my life - mentally and physically," Chavez said. "I feel rejuvenated and 10 years younger. Second, I want to thank MVP for taking the risk of fighting me. Unfortunately for their 'Problem Child,' they're going to have a big problem this June - one they won't know how to resolve."
The co-main event will feature unified cruiserweight champion Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez (47-1) defending his titles against former champion Yuniel Dorticos (27-2).