Jake Paul may have just landed himself a blockbuster opponent—and the good news, at least for him, is that this challenger checks all the boxes ‘The Problem Child’ usually looks for. Fresh off a dominant win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. last Saturday in California, the 28-year-old now has his sights set on a cruiserweight title. But in a surprising twist, a four-division world champion has floated a scenario that could set Paul up for his next big payday.

“I’ll probably take him out, would be a tough fight though,” Roy Jones Jr. said during an interview with Seconds Out. The 56-year-old announced his retirement from boxing in February 2018, after defeating Scott Sigmon by unanimous decision in his hometown of Pensacola, Florida. It ended a 29-year professional career with a record of 66 wins and 9 losses. He did make a brief comeback to boxing in April 2023 against MMA fighter Anthony Pettis. However, since the loss, the boxing legend has stuck to his role behind the scenes. However, despite his challenge to Jake Paul, Jones Jr. knows all too well what the Problem Child brings to the table.

“He’s [Jake Paul] very strong, and he’s a knockout puncher now—people don’t realize,” the four-division world champion admitted. He acknowledged that most people think Paul’s opponents “are just laying down for him, but he can punch for real.” Jones Jr. envisioned how a fight between them could materialize. “You know what would be thrilling… picture this for a minute, Jake Paul getting in the position, Roy Jones has two or three fights comeback,” he said.

“Roy Jones never got the real world cruiserweight title, Jake Paul wants the real world cruiserweight title, wow, somebody vacates and we fight for the vacant [title],” Jones concluded. Despite Jones’ master plan, Jake Paul was recently added to the WBA cruiserweight rankings at No. 14 and has already expressed interest in challenging for the title, targeting a showdown with WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez down the line.

He also called out several boxers from a variety of weight classes, including Anthony Joshua, Gervonta Davis, and others. Regardless, it’s not just Jones who is praising Paul for his boxing abilities.

Eddie Hearn claims Jake Paul has improved considerably

Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing was once a vocal critic of Jake Paul, but after Paul’s performance against former middleweight champion Chavez Jr., Hearn admitted the former Disney star has made significant strides in boxing. “I think you’ve got to start—and it’s hard to say—just giving Jake a little bit of credit,” Hearn told The Stomping Ground.  

Even though Hearn knew Chavez Jr. was “finished 10 years ago,” he acknowledged that the Mexican fighter came in “fully prepared” with a proper training camp. “Jake’s boxing IQ has improved considerably. I think he can whack, he’s got a decent chin, and he’s putting the work in,” Hearn added.

Despite his praise, Hearn dismissed the idea of Jake Paul being ranked in the top 15 by the WBA. “Should he be top 15 in the world, don’t be ridiculous, but has he improved, absolutely… I would say Jake is top 100 in the cruiserweight division,” Hearn said.

Whether top 15 or top 100, Jake Paul has become a pay-per-view goldmine, putting together exciting fights. And it appears Roy Jones Jr. may want a piece of that money pie. What do you think of this fight? Would Jake Paul accept the challenge?