Jake Paul admitted that he would not compete against a boxer he once described as a “monster” despite previously sharing a ring with Mike Tyson and Anthony Joshua.
Paul sustained his second career defeat in Miami on December 19, losing by sixth-round knockout against former two-time unified heavyweight world champion Joshua.
Despite claiming he was going to secure what would’ve been an unlikely victory, it was obvious from the first bell that the 28-year-old planned to avoid exchanging with AJ as much as possible – a plan which worked until round five.
In round five, 'The Problem Child' was floored twice by his opponent, who began putting together barrages of shots, with Paul struggling to reply with shots of his own.
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The following round, the 2012 Olympic gold medallist landed a thunderous right-hand to end the contest and improve his record to 29 wins from 33 professional fights, while Paul is now 12-2 with his other loss coming against Tommy Fury back in 2023.
The 28-year-old, though, has been praised by several members of the boxing community for his bravery, including Chris Eubank Jr., who claimed that “you have to give the man his respect now".
Paul has now shared a ring with several notable combat sports athletes, including former UFC fighters Anderson Silva, Nate Diaz, Tyron Woodley (x2) and Ben Askren, as well as former heavyweight world champions Tyson and Joshua.
But there is one particular fighter he would never face.
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Speaking to ESPN, Paul said: “There's a very short list of people that I wouldn't step into the ring with, and [David] Benavidez is on that list.”
The Mexican-American, who Paul once desrcibed as a "monster", is currently undefeated and holds the WBC light heavyweight championship, boasting a professional record of 31 wins with 25 of these coming by knockout.
"That guy is different,” Paul added. “His power, his speed, his cardio, his nonstop punching and relentless pressure.
"Your punches don't mean s--- to him. He has giant forearms that go from the bottom of his hip to the top of his head. You can't get through his guard.
“You can punch him all you want, but it's not affecting him.
"Some people are just built different, and Benavidez is one of those guys.”
Last time out, Benavidez defeated British fighter Anthony Yarde to retain his world title. He has since announced that he will fight unified champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez at cruiserweight in May.
Topics: Jake Paul, Boxing, Anthony Joshua, Chris Eubank Jr, Tommy Fury
Luke Davies