Sports betting has always been intertwined with boxing, from the days of Floyd Mayweather vs. Oscar De La Hoya to Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia. The bigger the fight, the bigger the stakes. Now, with Jake Paul and Gervonta Davis set to clash on November 14 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, the two have reportedly agreed to a staggering $2 million wager on the outcome.

For Jake Paul, betting on himself is nothing new. Ahead of his bout with Tommy Fury, he put $1 million on the line with Tommy’s brother, Tyson Fury. He’s also placed million-dollar side bets with undercard fighters, including those who backed him to lose against Mike Tyson last year. But how exactly did this latest $2 million wager with Gervonta Davis come about?

Jake Paul, Gervonta Davis agree to $2 million bet

‘The Problem Child’ and ‘Tank’ Davis are already geared to make a substantial amount from the Netflix exclusive fight. However, the stakes just got even higher in the latest presser for the fight. After making their grand entrances — Paul in a Bugatti Chiron alongside Adin Ross, and Davis in his Ferrari SF90 Stradale — the two fighters agreed to a massive $2 million side bet on the fight’s outcome.

Midway through the press conference, popular KICK streamer Adin Ross tried to spice things up. He challenged ‘Tank’ to a $250,000 wager, but the Baltimore native wasn’t satisfied. Gervonta Davis countered with $500,000, which Ross quickly declined. “Jake, y’all are making $50 million on Netflix for this, I can’t do it. You split the bet with me: $250[K], $250[K],” Ross said, turning to Paul for help.

Paul wasn’t ready to settle for less. Instead, he proposed taking the bet even higher, offering a cool $1 million. Davis, never one to back down, instantly doubled it. “Two mill? Let’s do it,” Paul replied without hesitation, shaking hands with Davis on stage to lock in the wager. As the crowd reacted, Davis kept his composure, brushing off the risk with trademark confidence: “Easy work, bro.” Now, to answer the question of whether the bet is even legal. 

Is the Paul vs. Davis bet legal?

When Jake Paul and Gervonta Davis agreed to the $2 million side bet on their fight, people immediately started asking the big question: Is this even legal? In combat sports, betting is a treacherous issue. One thing is for certain: boxers can’t place bets against themselves—it’s outright banned. That’s basically match-fixing, and it will ruin the boxer’s career. Betting on themselves, on the other hand, is a tricky subject and comes under a gray area. 

Technically, some athletic commissions allow fighters to wager on themselves to win. But the problem is perception and enforcement. If a fighter carries a bout into later rounds to hit a specific betting line, or if insider knowledge shifts the odds, it opens the door to controversy. Even if intentions are genuine, it can look suspicious. History has shown why regulators tread carefully. 

Floyd Mayweather once claimed he tried to place a $400,000 bet on himself before fighting Conor McGregor in 2017, but sportsbooks reportedly refused. The move, meant to show confidence, instead created headlines about ethics. However, unlike then, Paul and Davis aren’t betting through a betting platform like DraftKings; they are engaging in a wager. This means nothing can stop them from doing it: — they can legally shake hands on a private wager! 

Tales of Ryan Garcia, Floyd Mayweather & Others betting on themselves

The idea of betting on yourself in most sports is a wild one and often attracts scandals, but in boxing, the rules are far less uniform, leading to some wild stories. Most recently, Ryan Garcia turned heads after revealing he bet $2 million on himself to beat Devin Haney, who was the favorite, in April 2024. Coming in as the underdog, Garcia’s gamble paid off spectacularly, netting him around $10 million. Legal under Nevada’s rules, the move shocked many fans, as no other major sport allows participants to wager on their own performance. 

Floyd Mayweather did the same thing in 2017 before his mega-fight with Conor McGregor. He was confident he would end the fight under 10 rounds, so he attempted to place a $400,000 bet on a prop line (under 9.5 rounds). The sportsbook refused to comply with Mayweather’s bet, citing integrity concerns. Despite that, he later admitted that he managed to get part of the bet in, thanks to a friend. 

Something similar happened with David Haye in 2010, when he defeated Audley Harrison via third-round knockout. Haye admitted he had predicted a third-round KO and told friends and family, many of whom bet on it. However, when the British Board of Control (BBBofC) took notice and claimed they were disappointed, Haye downplayed the situation, claiming he personally didn’t place the bets; only his family and friends did. 

At the end of the day, a boxer can technically place a bet on themselves to win. However, the practice is often frowned upon because of the questions it raises about the integrity of the fight. Interestingly, boxing remains one of the only sports where this is still allowed. Do you think it should be banned?