Fans Appalled as Jake Paul Makes a ‘Mockery of Himself’ for Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Promotion

You can take Jake Paul out of Vine, but you can’t take the Vine out of Jake Paul. The 28-year-old, who boasts over 62 million followers combined across his social media platforms, continues to blur the line between boxing and entertainment with the kind of viral antics that once made him internet-famous. And his aim? To become a world champion. His methods? Far from conventional. And just when you think he’s done with the antics, he finds a new way to break the internet.

Last year, in the lead-up to his November bout with Mike Tyson, Jake Paul stirred the pot with a parody clip of himself donning a fake Mike Tyson face tattoo and reenacting the infamous “ear bite” from Tyson’s 1997 rematch with Evander Holyfield. He even paraded around in a fake fat suit for weeks after Mike Tyson called him “fat & funky.” Now, with his next fight set for June 28th against former middleweight world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., The Problem Child is back to his old promotional antics. And he’s even brought out the old fat suit.

Yesterday, he dropped a video on Instagram of himself running on a treadmill, sporting oversized sunglasses and a fake potbelly, chasing a dangling hot dog attached to a fishing rod. The man holding the fishing rod behind Jake Paul taunted, “Come on fat boy, pace up!” while El Gallo huffed in pursuit. “29 Days. Do y’all think I’m ready for my fight? 💪,” he captioned the post.

It might just be more than comedy and could be a subtle jab at his upcoming opponent, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Despite Chavez Jr. winning his 2024 bout against former MMA fighter Uriah Hall, it was his first fight in over three years. Ring rust, inactivity, and questions about his conditioning have followed the former world champion, giving Jake Paul every reason to believe he can add another easy win to his unorthodox boxing résumé. Moreover, this isn’t the first eyebrow-raising stunt the Ohio native has pulled recently, either.

Just days before the treadmill video, he dove into the bizarre world of internet lore with a parody of the infamous “100 men vs. 1 gorilla” debate, a conversation Mike Tyson once weighed in on with colorful commentary. Jake Paul took the idea to a new level, sharing what appeared to be a CGI-enhanced clip of him fighting a gorilla. And the stunt went viral. So when he followed it up with the fake belly video, the internet again had a lot to say.

United we stand… against Jake Paul

One frustrated critic summed up the growing sentiment with a simple, scathing remark: “Nobody cares. Jake Paul fights for clout, not legacy.” And, truthfully, it’s hard to argue. Outside of his bout with Tommy Fury, the 11-1 boxer’s résumé is a highlight reel of handpicked opponents. Retired fighters, former MMA stars, and men notably smaller or past their primes. In the eyes of many boxing purists, the illusion of competitiveness has worn thin.

His latest antics might be classic Jake Paul, but to critics, they are yet another in a long line of gimmicks. “Still making a mockery of himself and the sport,” one commenter wrote, echoing the growing fatigue of longtime boxing fans. Others weren’t as gentle. “You’re fighting washed up fighters. What’s the point of these unfunny videos?” questioned another user, pointing to the glaring 30-year age gap in the Tyson matchup and the 11-year difference with Chavez Jr. While the upcoming fight might seem more balanced on paper, age, inactivity, and conditioning still tilt the odds in Paul’s favor.

Amid the mockery, it’s worth noting Jake Paul has made a mark as a promoter. His Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) platform is elevating women’s boxing, pushing for equity and visibility in ways few others have. But as a fighter? The goodwill earned outside the ring hasn’t quite translated inside it. “Oh look it’s the wanna be boxer Jake Paul,” read one cutting comment, emphasizing that no matter how well he plays the businessman, the boxer label still doesn’t stick.

Similarly, frustrated with Jake Paul’s antics and his continued mockery of the sport, one user bluntly wrote, “Cancel this ni–a.” Whereas another added, “A real fighter would never do this.” The sentiment was echoed by many, with one comment summing it up, “Finally the comments are more right than wrong. Please get this dude out of boxing.” For traditional boxing fans, the overwhelming reaction feels like a sigh of relief as if the sport might finally be reclaiming itself from the grip of influencer gimmicks, whether from Jake Paul or others like KSI.

With that said, it looks like Jake Paul might take a good amount of time to move on from his age-old method of teasing audiences. However, with his career and reputation now more successful as a promoter, should Jake Paul consider hanging up his gloves as a boxer once and for all? And more importantly, do you think he can secure an easy win against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., given that Chavez’s latest training video showed he wasn’t exactly in top shape?