When Jake Paul vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was announced, the buzz was nowhere near the frenzy that surrounded Paul’s blockbuster bout against Mike Tyson last November. That Netflix-exclusive clash shattered records for viewership and gate revenue in Texas. In contrast, expectations for the Chavez Jr. fight were lukewarm at best—nobody thought it would come close to replicating that kind of success. But they were in for a surprise.

When the fight began, the commentators for the Paul-Chavez Jr. matchup proudly announced the event had become the biggest gate in the history of the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Later, Ring Magazine reported, “Jake Paul announced a Honda Center record for gate at a boxing event.” They also noted that ticket prices were slashed to as low as $10, with some seats discounted by over 70%. But the question is, how much did the event make? 

According to BoxingScene and PPV[dot]com journalist Lance Pugmire, the Paul-Chavez Jr. fight made a total of $1.57 million from gate revenue, which was touted as a new record for the venue. However, a literal ‘Reality Check’ was about to hit Paul like a truck. MMA Broadcaster and Reporter Aaron Bronsteter quickly took note of the number Pugmire had reported. He responded to the tweet, highlighting the reality of the situation. 

“$600,000 shy of the live gate figure produced by UFC 59: Reality Check in 2006,” Bronsteter wrote back, exposing the misinformation. Notably, UFC 59, billed as the ‘Reality Check,’ headlined by Rich Franklin and challenger David Loiseau on April 15, 2006, at the then-named Arrowhead Pond, had produced a live gate of $2,191,450, which is, as Bronsteter claimed, roughly $600,000 more than Paul’s $1.57 million.

This means UFC president Dana White still holds the record for the highest gate at the Honda Center, set back in 2006, beating out Jake Paul vs. Chavez Jr. To add insult to injury, the Paul vs. Chavez Jr. fight couldn’t even keep up with the UFC in current times.

Nakisa Bidarian responds to the reality of Jake Paul vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Changing the subject is an art, something Bidarian has become a master at. Upon learning that Paul vs. Chavez Jr. didn’t produce the biggest gate at the venue, he adopted a similar approach. Instead of acknowledging the mishap, he pointed out that the UFC had existed for far longer. “Reality check – UFC was in business for 13 years at that point. Good for them and good for us,” he wrote back on X. 

By that rationale, boxing is so old that pinpointing the exact time it started would take multiple historians. Regardless, Paul-Chavez Jr. was in direct competition with UFC 317, headlined by Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira on the same date. UFC 317 produced $11.3 million in gate revenue, which is vastly greater than Paul’s fight. Additionally, it took slashing prices to attract more people to buy the tickets, without which the Paul-Chavez Jr. fight may have actually created a new record. 

It appears Jake Paul didn’t receive much praise for beating 39-year-old Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., and now, the gate record has also been taken away. At least, the WBA has ranked him 14th on their cruiserweight rankings. What do you make of this new revelation?