Jake Paul is always in the market for an opponent. There were reports in February of this year that ‘The Problem Child’ was in the final stages of negotiating a fight with boxing mega-star Canelo Alvarez, who was the Cleveland native’s dream opponent ever since he started his boxing career in 2020. However, the Mexican champ pulled the rug out from under Paul’s feet and signed with Saudi-owned Riyadh Season to a four-fight deal worth nearly $400 million in February.

The first chapter of this contract unfolded with the Mexican beating William Scull on May 3 and is not set to face Terence Crawford in September in a superfight. Moreover, the bout would be promoted under the TKO boxing banner with Paul’s arch-nemesis, Dana White, at the helm of the proceedings. But thankfully, the Puerto Rico resident has found another opponent in the form of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, who isn’t even close to Canelo’s level, is still a good opponent for Paul.

Of course, the former Disney star will need an opponent after Chavez Jr, and we know he isn’t going to go the usual route and fight another promising contender at his weight class. Paul likes to pick his opponents, who are often older and smaller mixed martial artists, who come from a different sport entirely. And that is perhaps why PFL 2022 light heavyweight tournament winner, Rob Wilkinson, wants to fight Paul in the near future.

“What do you make of his boxing? A lot of people have an opinion on this,” our very own Andrew Whitelaw asked Wilkinson in an Essentially Sports Exclusive interview.

“I mean, I think he’s better than most people would like to admit. He’s definitely fully committed to it. You can see he trains hard, and he’s getting better each fight. But I still don’t think he’s like one of the best boxers in the world or anything like that. I think he’s decent and he’s putting a lot of effort into it, and he’s and he’s getting better every fight. But, yeah, I’d love to test myself against him,” the former PFL champ said.

“Would you win?” Whitelaw inquired. And to his credit, Wilkinson didn’t frand-stand or make tall claims, and simply answered with a pretty humble “I’d say so.” 

Paul, of course, does like to fight mixed martial artists, but Wilkinson perhaps isn’t yet washed up or old enough to make the cut. Not to mention the former PFL champion fights at 205 pounds, which is way too heavy for Paul, who likes to pick on smaller opponents. But things may be changing now, and Wilkinson could have a shot at fighting Paul in the near future.

Jake Paul to face Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on June 28

Although Jake Paul couldn’t secure a fight with Canelo Alvarez, he has managed to get a fight with one of his victims. ‘The Problem Child’ is set to face Julio Cesar Chavez Jr on June 28, who fought and lost to ‘Canelo’ in their 2017 clash via a decision. Chavez Jr, of course, is the son of the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez, who is one of the greatest boxers in the history of the sport.

And this matchup is quite interesting. Chavez Jr is pretty skilled and has a pretty solid chin. If the Mexican former WBC middleweight world champion takes the fight seriously and puts in a full camp, he does have the skills required to beat Paul. But over the past few years, the Sinaloa native has been dealing with issues, including legal ones, which could affect his performance.

Not to mention the Mexican boxer is 39 and clearly past his prime. But to be fair to Paul, Chavez Jr is a ‘real’ boxer and could put up a good fight against ‘The Problem Child’. Maybe Paul is getting more serious about his boxing and wants to challenge himself. In which case, perhaps Rob Wilkinson does have a shot at fighting Paul in the near future. What do you think about Wilkinson’s comments about Jake Paul?