The Real Winners and Losers from the Jake Paul Boxing Card
Guess who's back? Back again.
Jake Paul's back.
And his streaming partners would surely appreciate if you'd tell a friend.
The expert social media persona/novice boxer headed back to the ring Friday night in what was surely his lowest-profile bout since the start of a publicity-fueled side gig, this time in the universally recognized non-fight capital of Orlando, Florida.
It was there, at the Caribe Royale Resort—barely three miles from the world's preeminent cartoon mouse—that Paul engaged one Andre August, a "real boxer" boasting a 10-1-1 record in a career that began a decade ago but has included just one fight since 2019.
Never heard of him? No problem. Neither had anyone else.
A 35-year-old from Texas, August had beaten two fighters in their pro debuts and handled eight others who'd arrived with a combined record of 31-62-6. He also drew with a fighter making his debut and lost, by second-round TKO, to another with a 3-3 slate.
The B/R combat team was in the central Florida house to take it all in and deliver a real-time assessment of the show's definitive winners and losers.
Take a look at what we come up with and drop a thought in the comments.
Loser: Jake Paul's Boxing Critics
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It probably wouldn't have mattered how Friday went.
If Paul dispatched an unknown opponent in one round, as he did, the knee-jerk reaction would be to question the foe. And if he encountered anything resembling a struggle, it'd be more fuel for the "he's not legit" fire.
Make no mistake, Paul is well aware of the perpetual criticism.
He just doesn't care.
"I.dont know what I proved tonight. I'm just gonna do me," he said. "And to all the people who only want to tell me I can't do something, shut the f--k up."
The last line drew thunderous applause from the "Problem Child's" in-house fanbase, many of whom hadn't seen a bout up close. They seemed quite satisfied with this and the seven victories before it, and those who aren't are simply going to have to deal with the guy for at least a while longer.
He skipped out on a chance to make a high-profile call out after the fight, though he's consistently engaged on social media and in interviews with the likes of Canelo Alvarez. Instead, he said he was going to let the money fights come if they came, while concentrating instead on building his brand in lesser shows.
"More boxing prospects. More experience. More time in the ring," he said.
Paul said an announcement, presumably on his next fight, would come as soon as next week. Meanwhile, older brother Logan also took an opportunity to hurl Friday's success back in the faces of those who'd been critical.
"What have you all got to say now," he said. "This kid is the most impressive person in boxing today and I'm proud to share a name with him "
Winner: Jake Paul as a Boxer
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It wasn't a big room. But Jake Paul made it sound like one.
The few thousand fans who turned a resort hotel's conference room into a social media mosh pit got exactly what they wanted from their hero when he landed a right uppercut that ended the night for an unheralded and unsuccessful Andre August after just 2 minutes and 32 seconds.
It was exactly according to script for a guy who'd arrived as a -900 favorite, but it had to impress even those who continued to question his legitimate ring chops after a series of YouTubers, retired basketball players and shop-worn UFC alums.
The 26-year-old danced to the ring to a Christmas song ahead of a prodigious entourage and handled his business once inside, spearing his muscled opponent with hard left jabs followed by rights to the body.
August landed a flailing counter punch now and then but hadn't really done much to remember before Paul connected with the right uppercut that sent him down and out and upped the decibel level to full-on frenzy.
"I said first-round knockout all week. This is the power of manifestation," Paul said. "I've been too nice with these people. I told him he was gonna need a Celsius to wake up."
Winner: Ring Authenticity
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Yoenis Tellez may or may not wind up a world champion.
But he can punch like one.
The 23-year-old Cuban prospect made a case for inclusion on the honor roll of the year's best KOs, driving countryman Livan Navarro into semi-consciousness with a single left hand just 99 seconds from the final bell of their 10-rounder at super lightweight.
The one-punch erasure upped the winner's record to 7-0 in a three-plus-year career that had never seen him go past six rounds. It also earned him the preposterously dubious but still shiny belt that signifies him as the WBA's Latin American continental champion at 140 pounds.
He hardly fit the atmosphere at a Paul show that featured a hotel ballroom full of novice boxing fans bobbing heads to ear-splittingly vulgar music, instead showing effusive respect for his opponent in the aftermath of the stoppage and eschewing a brash callout in favor of a simply suggestion he'd continue to work.
"Today was not only a victory for me as a Cuban but for all of Cuban boxing," he told DAZN's Ariel Helwani. "I wasn't looking for the knockout but it came. You can't be looking for it."
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Winner: Heavyweight Bluster
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It's easy to see why a Jake Paul crowd would dig Lorenzo Medina.
The teenage Miami-area heavyweight comes to the ring with more strut than stroll, amid an eclectic cast of edgily dressed characters. Once inside the ropes, he seems well-versed in all the provocative gestures, tactics and trash talk that are emblematic of a social media-age boxer.
And it turns out he can fight a little bit, too.
Though far from perfect against 31-year-old Missouri-based veteran Joshua Temple, Medina did a lot of things right in the DAZN show opener—showing credible hand speed, a respectable work rate and good pop on the way to dispatching Temple with a flurry that forced the hand of referee Christopher Young just 29 seconds into the final round of a scheduled six.
But Medina shined brightest when he went all-in for Paul in the aftermath, trolling his beaten foe by suggesting Temple's wife had motivated him with DMs on social media in the days leading up to the fight, then telling Helwani that Temple "f—king sucked" and that he'd been "trying to convince himself he was good enough to be in the ring with me."
If Jake were an inch taller and 50 pounds heavier, you'd have believed they were twins.
Or at least soulmates.
"Whoever they want me to fight," he told Helwani, "I'm gonna beat the f--k out of him."
Full Card Results
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Main Card
Jake Paul def. Andre August by KO, 2:32, Round 1
Franchon Crews Dezurn def. Shadasia Green by unanimous decision (98-92, 97-93, 97-93)
Yoenis Tellez def. Livan Navarro by KO, 1:21, Round 10
Lorenzo Medina def. Joshua Temple by TKO, 0:29, Round 6
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