YouTube celebrity Jake Paul is testing the definition of a legit boxer, with his fights against non-boxing professionals calling into question his achievements.
His next fight is against another UFC contender, Tyron Woodley. This comes on the back of his last fight against an MMA grappler, Ben Askren.
However he is yet to fight someone with a professional boxing track record, and the DAZN Boxing Show's Ak and Barak gave Paul credit for his achievements so far but believed patience is running out for him to fight a true boxer of any quality.
Akin Reyes said: “He was a legitimate boxer once he received his license to box professionally,” he said.
“I'm gonna stand by that because I'm actually sick of ‘Is he a legitimate boxer?’ talk.
“I've been telling people this for months now that boxers, especially prospects when they come into the sport, they fight guys that aren't really dedicated boxes.
“So I'm gonna treat Jake Paul the same way. He's been a legitimate boxer since he got his boxer's license now. Is he a prospect?”
“People will still dispute because he's fighting an MMA fighter. People will still say, ‘I want to see him fight a boxer before I can say he's a boxer.’ But guess what? You and I both know that we can find 100 guys that aren't MMA fighters that have only been fighting professional boxing, that have tons of losses.
“And if Jake Paul beat those guys, what will the people say? Fight somebody we know - fight Canelo [Alvarez]. That's what will happen. So it doesn't matter.
“A guy like Jake Paul is never going to get the benefit of the doubt. He is gonna be this guy that people love to hate, regardless of who he beat. But he's a legitimate boxer.
“What if he beats Woodley, it will be a big one. It will be his best win till date, right? If I was his management team, I would start finding fighters with losing records that are professional fighters and fight those guys. Let's see what the people say then.”
Barak Bess had a similar opinion, saying: “ I can't get mad when people complain because he's not fighting a boxer.
“But you're not fighting a boxer. You're saying you're taking boxing seriously. I say call up Peter Buckley. He has 256 losses. Fight Peter Buckley, fight these guys because other fighters fought him. Fight like you said, guys with a whole bunch of losses.”