Ilia Topuria didn’t mince words when asked about Jake Paul’s boxing prowess, and his blunt assessment during a livestream hosted by Adin Ross immediately sparked a direct challenge from ‘The Problem Child’ himself. So, what triggered the heated spat? A simple but provocative question from Ross: Is Jake Paul actually a good boxer? 

“I like the way he represents himself,” Topuria said. “As a boxer, I think he sucks. He is a very bad boxer. But I love that being that bad, how he does it, and how he promotes himself is… Because he is not a good boxer, and he doesn’t have the skills to be a good boxer. But I think he’s doing a great job because he sells more than most great fighters.”

While Ilia Topuria‘s assessment might resonate with fans, ‘The Problem Child’ immediately joined the call to confront him.

“Hey, I respect you, bro. I think you’re awesome,” Jake Paul said. “I just think if you think I’m a bad boxer, then we should spar.”

“Yeah, whenever you want,” Topuria replied. “I’m open to it… Your jaw is okay already?

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The not-so-subtle dig from Topuria about Paul’s broken jaw, which he suffered during his loss to Anthony Joshua last year, didn’t sit well with the YouTuber-turned-boxer. Paul claimed he had asked several MMA fighters to fly in and spar with him, but they refused, including Paddy Pimblett. 

“I offered to send him my jet and a million dollars, and he wouldn’t do it,” Paul said.

“As a YouTuber and streamer, you’re the best boxer,” Topuria said. “But compared to real boxers? You’d never be on that list. As a boxer, you suck.”

“When I beat your a— in sparring, what you gonna say?” Paul responded.

“When you get your jaw healed, let’s do it,” Topuria said. “Just get ready, because you’ll need another recovery period.”

In response, ‘El Gallo’ claimed he doesn’t need his jaw to recover completely because MMA fighters can’t match his boxing skills.

“I beat all of the best in your sport—that’s actually a fact,” said Paul. “You’re a little guy. You’re 5’6! You can’t even ride rollercoasters.”

‘El Matador’ acknowledged that he is shorter than Paul, but claimed he would still beat the YouTuber-turned-boxer.

“I’m going to give you a combo that puts you to the height of my b—s,” Topuria said. “You’re gonna be on your f—ing knees.” 

The UFC lightweight champion then claimed he would run through Paul if they ever met in an MMA fight.

“Oh, we can do that too,” Jake Paul fired back.

Topuria’s criticism is mild compared to the views of established professional boxers. Terence Crawford recently called the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight in November 2024 “scripted.” Paul had defeated Tyson by unanimous decision.

But if all this wasn’t a big blow to Jake Paul’s persona as a boxer, this definitely gets the job done.

Jake Paul booted from WBA cruiserweight rankings

Back in July last year, the WBA gave ‘The Problem Child’ a clear path to legitimacy by adding him to their cruiserweight rankings. The sanctioning body had added him to their official cruiserweight rankings at the No. 14 spot shortly after he defeated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. However, the YouTuber-turned-boxer couldn’t hold on to the position, which could have given him a straight shot at a title. 

He had already dropped down to No. 15 before he entered the ring with Anthony Joshua. However, after Joshua not only defeated Jake Paul but also broke his jaw in two different places during their fight last year, the organization quickly decided to correct their mistake and boot Jake Paul to the curb. 

Paul hasn’t fought since then and appears to be recovering from his injury. 

It looks like Jake Paul is trying to set up a rivalry with Ilia Topuria, which could spill over into a crossover fight. However, as long as ‘El Matador’ is under contract with the UFC, there’s little chance a professional fight between Paul and Topuria would go beyond sparring.