He tried his best. But as Jake Paul prepares to face Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., it seems even his most earnest attempts to justify his fights are struggling to convince fans. To his credit, there might be a slight improvement. In the span of five months, he has moved from fighting a 58-year-old heavyweight legend to a 39-year-old former middleweight champion.

Matters worsened when a few fans caught ‘The Problem Child’ committing a verbal faux pas, followed by an unconvincing analogy. Paul and Chavez Jr. are scheduled for a ten-round cruiserweight bout in Anaheim on June 28. Last year, on November 15, Paul fought Mike Tyson. The event at AT&T Stadium was a major commercial success.

But the bout attracted scathing criticism from many corners, primarily due to Tyson’s advanced age and health concerns. Interestingly, in late January, talks of a potential fight with Canelo Alvarez briefly surfaced, only to collapse within 24 hours. Shortly thereafter, Paul called out Anthony Joshua, before fans ultimately learned that Chavez Jr. would be his next opponent.

Jake Paul vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., who used to be what, exactly?

Jake Paul’s promotion company, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), released a video. It featured Paul trying to chastise his critics for accusing him of facing yet another older, washed-up opponent. “Jake Paul addresses the critics talking about his next fight, trying to discredit Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.,” the caption on the post read.

So what exactly did he say? “Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is a former world champion. A cruiserweight world champion,” Jake Paul said while addressing fans and followers, before adding, “The same weight as me, the same size as me, and twenty years more pro boxing experience than me.” Paul exhorted the naysayers to ‘get the excuses out of the way.’

To cite an example, he referred to Paddy Pimblett‘s recent fight against Michael Chandler at UFC 314. The event, which took place in Miami on April 12, ended with Pimblett earning ‘Performance of the Night’ honors after he defeated Chandler in the final round with elbows and punches.

Paul continued, “Last week Paddy Pimblett beat Michael Chandler, and the whole world lost their mind, but not a single person mentioned Michael Chandler’s age? And that’s because he’s still within his prime. The same age as Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. People didn’t have a problem with Paddy, then why do they have a problem with me? So when I beat him, don’t even try to cry about his age.”

Now let’s check what a few fans had to say.

An uproar among fans

One fan expressed disbelief: “Cruiserweight champion when ? 😭.” Those familiar with the sport know very well that Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is not a cruiserweight world champion. He was a former middleweight titleholder. Later, he made attempts at securing a few regional titles in the super middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. His last fight, against Uriah Hall on the Jake Paul–Mike Perry card, was indeed a cruiserweight bout.

There was further dismay from another fan who said, “He’s in his prime? The same guy who lost to Silva and went life and death with Uriah Hall 😭.” And they aren’t wrong. Chavez Jr.’s most recent professional defeat didn’t even come against a boxer but against a former UFC champion, Anderson Silva, whom Jake Paul subsequently defeated. Chavez Jr. won the fight against Hall by unanimous decision. But it was still a six-round victory against a former MMA fighter.

Another fan called Paul’s claims an ‘epic fail’: “Epic fail😂 Chavez Jr. was a middleweight (160 lbs.) world champion in 2012 😂.” For context, it was in 2010 that Chavez Jr. secured the WBC Silver middleweight championship. A year later, he defeated Sebastian Zbik to become the WBC middleweight champion. A title he held until losing to Sergio Martinez in 2012.

A more straightforward point followed: “Why do you take so much time to explain to everyone that he is a worthy opponent? If he was a worthy opponent, you would not have to explain to everyone why he is worthy. Anyway, Chavez by round 1 😂.” It does make sense, right? If Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. were truly a legitimate and credible opponent, there would be no need for Jake Paul to work so hard justifying the matchup.

Another fan resurrected the ghost of Paul’s only defeat: “It’s because you’re always fighting retired boxers, and the only boxer you did fight, you lost to. If you are a real boxer, then fight properly ranked fighters, not retired old fighters; that’s always been the issue.” Paul’s loss to Tommy Fury remains a persistent point of criticism among fans and observers.

Now, fans and followers may continue to slam Jake Paul for the quality of his opponents.

But isn’t it high time someone started appreciating the promotional work he and his team have been doing, especially for women’s boxing? Perhaps by staying consistently active, Paul is trying to improve his skills. Maybe, when he’s fully ready, he’ll challenge a reigning champion or another big name still in their prime. Sounds delusional or realistic?

What about you? How do you rate Jake Paul’s upcoming fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.?