Over the past few decades, the WBA has accustomed us to all sorts of absurdities — from the farcical fragmentation of its world titles into countless subcategories to the rankings that seem to have been written by someone under the influence of hallucinogens. But this time, Gilberto Mendoza Jr.’s organization has truly outdone itself, hitting rock bottom: former YouTuber Jake Paul has officially entered the WBA cruiserweight rankings at number fourteen, making him technically eligible for a world title shot.
Let it be clear: the writer of this article holds no personal grudge against the colorful American athlete. Paul took up boxing just under six years ago and has since dedicated himself to the sport with commitment and discipline, hiring high-level teams and training hard to grasp the techniques and principles of a discipline that most top-tier professionals start to master from a very young age.
The results, unsurprisingly, have not been extraordinary — which is to be expected for someone who approaches a sport for the first time as an adult. Paul completely skipped the amateur ranks and turned pro at the age of 23.
To keep his persona in the spotlight and convince fans that he was a legitimate contender, the former YouTuber cleverly picked his opponents: complete novices, former basketball players, MMA fighters, and low-level boxers — some of them hampered by age or a significant size disadvantage.
His only misstep came when he challenged Tommy Fury, the least skilled among the professional boxers from the family of the famous Gypsy King, of whom he is a cousin. Although Paul managed to score a knockdown, he lost the fight by split decision. Fury’s boxing mediocrity, already evident from videos of his early bouts, became even more glaring when he delivered a dreadful performance against another YouTuber, Olajide William Olatunji (aka KSI), barely scraping by with a razor-thin points win.
Then came the masterstroke: Jake Paul realized he could make headlines around the world by facing former boxing champions with glorious pasts but who were far removed from fighting shape and therefore posed little threat. First Mike Tyson, then Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. — both served this purpose, allowing the cunning American to pad his resume with big names, even if what he actually beat were only their shadows.
Many, especially those less familiar with the sport, believe Paul’s recent fights were fixed, unwilling to accept the idea that former world champions could lose to a YouTuber. From my perspective, this theory holds no water: Tyson and Chavez lost because they are former athletes, and in a sport as physically demanding as boxing, one well-executed training camp is not enough to erase years of undisciplined living or make someone ring-ready again.
Up to this point, nothing particularly dramatic. After all, Jake Paul has every right to enjoy himself and practice the sport he loves, and he has every right to choose whom to fight. In fact, the former YouTuber has even brought some positive effects to boxing — for example, by giving good fighters the opportunity to earn large, well-deserved paydays on his undercards. This was the case with Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, who delivered an unforgettable bout on the Paul vs Tyson card and fully earned every cent of their huge purses — payouts they likely would not have received in any other context.
So the real issue isn’t Jake Paul’s career, nor his tendency to offer up circus-like spectacles. The real problem is the WBA’s utter lack of shame (and that of any other organization that might follow its foolish example). By inserting Paul into its rankings, the WBA has once again trampled on the values of the sport it claims to govern.
Officially declaring Jake Paul the fourteenth-best cruiserweight in the world based on his wins over a 57-year-old inactive for nearly two decades and a boxer whose high-level career essentially ended in 2012 — when he weighed 160 pounds — is an insult to boxing fans and professionals alike.
What’s particularly outrageous about this indecent decision is that it’s a direct slap in the face to the many cruiserweights around the world who could beat Jake Paul with one hand tied behind their back, yet who — unlike him — can only dream of a world title shot.
With this move, which unfortunately had been in the air for some days, the WBA has spat in the face of meritocracy, trampled the rights of athletes it is supposed to protect, and further damaged its already fragile credibility.
How much longer can Mr. Mendoza push the limits before his organization loses the inexplicable international prestige it still enjoys, and before its belts are rightfully regarded as garbage? The patience of boxing insiders has been tested far too many times, and perhaps it is time for everyone who loves this sport to loudly express their outrage.