The Jake Paul boxing experiment continues rolling on Saturday when the social media star-turned-fighter faces former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. The fight with Chavez marks Paul's second consecutive bout against a former world champion, following his November win over 58-year-old Mike Tyson.

While Chavez is not 58 years old -- he is merely 39 -- he is more than a decade removed from his time as a relevant top-tier boxer. Even at his peak, Chavez was never close to living up to the legacy of his father's incredible career and was often bogged down in controversy and plagued by self-inflicted issues.

"No, I don't think he's good. I think he tries, he trains hard, but he's not a good fighter," Chavez Jr. said at the final press conference. "He's definitely not a good boxer. If he were a good boxer, then everyone else on this stage would be a legend. I don't think he's a good boxer, and everybody knows that."

In a way, this makes Chavez the perfect Paul opponent. Paul has feasted on aged fighters well past their glory days while continuing to do big business.

Jake Paul at a crossroads of his boxing career where he needs to decide between being a fighter or promoter

Brian Campbell

After defeating fellow influencer AnEsonGib to start his pro career, Paul knocked out retired basketball player Nate Robinson. That was followed up with a string of fights with former UFC fighters such as Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley (twice) and Anderson Silva. After losing a narrow split decision to Tommy Fury, Paul returned to the former UFC fighter well with a win over Nate Diaz.

Paul tried a few fights with "real boxers" Andre August and Ryan Bourland, stopping both club fighters in the first round. Those fights were fair for most pro fighters with less than 10 career fights, but the lack of name value led to a lack of public interest and drove Paul right back to fighting a former UFC fighter in Mike Perry. Paul battered the bare-knuckle fighter to score the seventh stoppage victory of his career before moving on to Tyson and a massive box office, though the fight was disappointingly dull with Paul safely outboxing Tyson and largely appearing as though he didn't want to hurt the legend.

And that brings us to Paul vs. Chavez. Chavez has name value, he has boxing experience and a championship in his past. He also fits the usual criteria of Paul opponents as well past his prime and undersized for a cruiserweight fight.

"He's a great fighter. I like big names, legendary names, and he's on my path to a world championship," Paul said at the final press conference. "This is a tough test, a very tough test, but I'm here to challenge myself and do big things in this sport and then make a title run after I beat him on Saturday." 

To his credit, Paul was close to signing a deal for a fight with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez before it became clear Alvarez had used him for leverage before signing a three-fight deal with Riyadh Season. And now we're back to the standard Paul fight, though one that arguably presents slightly more risk than former UFC fighters since Chavez, no matter how faded, has spent most of his life training to compete in the boxing ring.

Paul vs. Chavez fight card, odds

• Jake Paul -670 vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. +400, cruiserweights
• Gilberto Ramirez (c) -1115 vs. Yuniel Dorticos +600, WBO cruiserweight title
• Floyd Schofield vs. Tevin Farmer, lightweights
• Holly Holm -910 vs. Yolanda Guadalupe Vega Ochoa +525, lightweights
• Avious Griffin -1115 vs. Julian Rodriguez +600, welterweights
• Raul Curiel vs. Victor Rodriguez, welterweights
• Victor Morales Jr. -1667 vs. Rene Alvarado +850, junior lightweights

Where to watch Paul vs. Chavez Jr.

• Date: June 28 | Location: Honda Center -- Anaheim, California
• Start time: 8 p.m. ET (Main card) 
• Main event ringwalks: 11 p.m. ET (approximately)
• How to watch: DAZN PPV (buy now) | Price: $59.99

Prediction

Chavez was at his best when he was fighting at middleweight. Even that version of Chavez wasn't great, and it largely felt like he was coasting on his father's name. Chavez is now competing at cruiserweight, where he beat former UFC fighter Uriah Hall in July 2024. That fight with Hall is Chavez's only since 2021, a year where Chavez lost a split decision to the same Anderson Silva that Paul beat in 2022, and that Chavez was given a card that night is an injustice as Silva dominated him.

Paul has improved to the point where he can be considered a decent boxer. His best asset is still his power, though, as Paul hits hard naturally. When he feels comfortable to let his shots go, he can hurt opponents. In fact, Tyson is the only opponent Paul has faced that he has not knocked down, and that fight was contested with 14-ounce gloves and with Paul clearly uninterested in the bad press that would come with hurting a 58-year-old legend.

In short, Paul younger, hits harder, is natural for the size the bout will be contested at and has been far more active. I don't see this going well for Chavez. Pick: Jake Paul via TKO5

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