ANAHEIM, California — Jake Paul and Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez are where they are today because they have thought big, which has to be admired.

Paul, a YouTuber-turned-boxer and promoter, talks about winning a world championship even though he hasn’t been tested by a contender. He gave a good performance Saturday, defeating Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. , 39, by a one-sided decision in a 10-round cruiserweight bout to further boost his confidence.

Ramirez held a major title at 168 pounds and then, perhaps improbably, won two at 200 five years after giving up his original belt. The unified champ outpointed former beltholder Yuniel Dorticos, also 39, to retain his WBO and WBA titles on the Paul-Chavez card.

However, both could be hitting their ceilings.

Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) has called out some of the biggest names in the sport, including future Hall of Famer Canelo Alvarez, 200-pound titleholder Badou Jack and even heavyweight Anthony Joshua.

Those who follow the sport closely either roll their eyes or wince when he mentions some names given his relative inexperience even if they give him credit for his development thus far.

Canelo? C’mon. The Mexican star is one of the best fighters of his generation and still in or near his prime. The only advantage Paul would have in that matchup is size. And Joshua? Paul would undoubtedly take a nap in the ring, during which he could dream about how to spend all the money he’d make for that fight.

Paul is serious, though. He was asked after his victory over Chavez whether he will continue to pursue a meeting with Alvarez, who as had talks with Paul’s team.

“He’s not out of the picture,” Paul said. “Once I get the belt, he’s going to want to fight for the cruiserweight championship, that belt. … So that’s the plan.”

Insanity to us is just par for the course for him. If chutzpah if a positive trait, he’s blessed.

He and Most Valuable Promotions partner Nakisa Bidarian also seem to be dead serious about a matchup with Joshua, a hulking two-time heavyweight champion who has hit his own ceiling but is only 35 and still punches as hard as anyone.

Bidarian said with a straight face that they’re targeting Joshua for late next year.

“Look, Deontay Wilder was beating guys weighing, what?, 215 pounds? Paul said after the fight Saturday. “Granted, he’s like 6-foot-6 or something. I like the challenge.”

Paul’s most realistic path to a 200-pound title might go through WBC beltholder Jack, which is why he throws out his name. Jack is 41, after all. However, that would be a stretch for Paul. The Swede is an experienced three-division champ who can still fight. No one would pick Paul to beat him.

The best matchup for Paul might be the only man to beat him, Tommy Fury, who he called out again Saturday. Paul says he was a baby in terms of his development when he fought Fury two-and-a-half years ago. He’d love to avenge that setback.

And, of course, there’s one more option that would make sense in his mind: Ramirez, with whom he engaged in a staredown at the post-fight news conference Saturday.

The 34-year-old Mexican has other things in mind at the moment. He indicated that he’s now targeting The Ring and IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia in an attempt to add a third 200-pound title, which was exactly what the Australian wanted to hear.

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I’m the best cruiserweight on the planet,” Opetaia said in a news release. “Ramirez put on a good performance against Dorticos, but if he really believes he’s the number one, then there’s only one way to prove it. I’m sick of all the excuses and the delays.

“None of these other champions have been in a hurry to face me, but the time has come. Let’s unify the division once and for all.”

No one can fault Ramirez (48-1, 30 KOs) for seeking to become what would amount to the undisputed 200-pound champion. Every serious fighter dreams of greatness.

The problem for Ramirez is that Opetaia (28-0, 22 KOs) is a rising force in the sport, with a pound-for-pound combination of ability, speed and power. Ramirez also has ability and an abundance of grit, but he can’t match the Aussie in any category beyond experience in big fights.

Ramirez met his match in the gifted light heavyweight champ Dmitry Bivol, who outclassed him in 2022. Many believe he would suffer the same fate against Opetaia.

Indeed, a good immediate option for Paul and Ramirez is one another. Paul would get his shot at belt and believes he would win. He said after beating Chavez: “Zurdo looked slow. That’s easy work, too.”

And Ramirez could get what would probably turn out to be an easy — and sizeable — payday before tackling a monster such as Opetaia. One knowledgeable observer at ringside for the Paul-Chavez card said of his chances in a meeting with Ramirez, “Paul's run ends there.”

Could Paul vs. Ramirez be next?