Jake Paul vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr: A defining moment for the influencer-turned-boxer

In yet another cross-generational fight, Jake Paul will take on Julio César Chávez Jr., this time on June 28, 2025. The YouTuber turned professional fighter will take on the former WBC middleweight champion at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

With the fight night closing in, the buildup around this exciting matchup is slowly growing all over social media. The 10-round cruiserweight bout will be live-streamed on DAZN pay-per-view.

The controversial fighter Jake Paul, often mocked as not fighting a real boxer yet, will be heading into this matchup to improve his boxing credibility by facing a much more experienced and decorated fighter.

For Chávez Jr, this fight will be his way of redemption, after spending three years without a fight. While his form is way beyond its peak, his father, the legendary Mexican boxer, was confident of his son’s victory in a press conference last week.

With an exciting undercard and lively betting markets, this might be one of the most popular boxing events of 2025.

Jake Paul’s bold leap into legacy territory

Paul’s entry into professional boxing started as a sideshow, but the influencer slowly started to make a name for himself and became the poster boy of the rise of influencer boxing. While it's still debatable whether he is considered a professional boxer, Paul has been confident with his skills, often claiming that he has what it takes to gain the respect.

He holds an 11-1 professional record and seven knockouts, making him a fierce competitor in recent times. Although most of these wins came against self-picked, aging MMA fighters or other influencer boxers, he has shown flashes of genuine ring intelligence. This fight against Chávez Jr will be Paul’s biggest chance yet to provide a definitive answer to the questions on his legitimacy.

"Five years ago, I stepped into the ring for my pro debut… and now I’m going against a former champion who even Canelo couldn’t knock out," Paul said in a recent interview.

Often termed as “The Problem Child”, Paul has gained a massive fan following and has contributed immensely towards the promotion of modern-day boxing. The fight on the 28th will be his path to validation from the traditionalists of the sports. The early odds of this fight offered by the best sports betting sites are also in favor of a Jake Paul win.

Chávez Jr.’s road to redemption

Chávez was once hailed as one of boxing’s most promising young stars. Even after having multiple achievements, Julio César Chávez Jr.’s career hasn’t been as smooth as he wanted it to be. The experienced fighter has a 54-6-1 record and 71 knockouts, with a visible upper hand against Paul.

He won the WBC middleweight title in 2011 and defended it several times before finally losing it to Sergio Martinez in 2012. Since that loss, Chávez’s career has seen multiple ups and downs filled with poor performance and other controversies.

Chávez will be returning to the ring after three long years, and this fight will be his chance of redemption and prove to everyone that he is still capable of standing strong in the ring. Plus, Chávez will also be looking for his revenge and pride as a pro-boxer against Paul, after the influencer-boxer defeated the legendary Mike Tyson, in a controversial fight back in November 2024.

In a recent interview, Chávez Jr. said, “I love Mike Tyson and I’m the first guy to fight Jake after he beat Mike Tyson, so I want to take revenge for Mike Tyson.”

Chávez Jr will be aiming to take advantage of Paul’s relative inexperience, a tone echoed by his father in a recent press conference. Although the veteran might not be in his best physical condition, his experience inside the ring will be a key factor in the matchup at the Honda Center on June 28th against a much younger and energetic opponent.