Jake Paul’s stint in the WBA rankings could be short-lived.
The WBA is set to review its ranking of Paul in its cruiserweight rankings during its European convention, which takes place from July 15-18 in Madrid, Spain. The decision to discuss Paul’s standing in the WBA’s rankings comes after other ranked contenders voiced their displeasure over
Paul cracking their top 15 without a viable win over a fighter in the weight class.
Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) was ranked No. 14 by the WBA after his unanimous decision
victory over former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on June 28 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, in a 10-round cruiserweight bout. Chavez (54-7-1, 34 KOs), 39, hasn’t netted a notable win since 2014, when he defeated Brian Vera in their rematch.
The only wins of Chavez’s career at cruiserweight were unanimous decision victories over David Zegarra in 2021, who is 1-6-1 since then, with all six losses coming by knockout inside of three rounds, and Uriah Hall, a former UFC fighter in his second pro boxing match.
Paul’s ranking was to seemingly clear the way for him to face unified WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez. Ramirez (48-1, 30 KOs) fought on the same night as Paul, defending his titles with a
unanimous decision victory over Yuniel Dorticos.
Paul’s ranking is far from the first time a sanctioning body ranked a fighter who hadn’t done anything worthwhile to be in the top 15 of their rankings.
Given the weight Paul’s name carries compared to other deserving contenders, it wouldn’t be shocking if the WBA chose to stand pat and keep Paul in its rankings, even though wins over Chavez and a 58-year-old Mike Tyson shouldn’t warrant him sniffing the top 15 of any sanctioning body’s rankings.