Francis Ngannou: 'Jake Paul is breaking the system'
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YouTuber-turned boxer Jake Paul prides himself in being a disruptor. His social media fame transferred to the ring and changed everything.
Paul began his career as a pugilist as expected, against English YouTuber Deji Olatunji, younger brother to KSI, in fall 2018. He made his professional boxing debut against YouTuber AnEsonGib, Ali Loui Al-Fakhri, in January 2020. In his second pro boxing match, Paul faced former NBA player Nate Robinson and scored a second-round knockout.
With two fights under his belt, Paul targeted former UFC fighters and champions as opponents. He knocked out Ben Askren in under two minutes. Paul then faced former UFC welterweight titleholder Tyron Woodley. The bout went the distance with Paul winning via spit decision. In the rematch, Paul knocked Woodley out. He holds a win over former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and The Ultimate Fighter 5 winner Nate Diaz.
Paul faced former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in his last outing and it aired on Netflix. Paul defeated the boxing legend via unanimous decision, and the fight generated a massive amount of viewers. Former UFC heavyweight titleholder Francis Ngannou believes Paul is 'breaking the system' in boxing and showing traditional paths aren't the only trails to boxing stardom.
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"Remember, we're doing entertainment. They were on Netflix, and when subscribe to Netflix, you go there for entertainment," Ngannou told TMZ Sports. "And if this is not entertainment, I don't know we're looking for.
"We can argue about sport and entertainment," Ngannou continued. "It was entertaining whether you like it or not. There was a curiosity to see, like, Mike Tyson at his age. Like, can he stand? Can he? And they did, they did entertain."
Ngannou considers Paul a disruptor to the system, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Paul has emerged one of the biggest draws in combat sports.
"Obviously, he's breaking the system. A lot of people will not be happy. It's more like a freelancer that doesn't belong to any institution. And people don't like it," Ngannou said. "The heads of institutions that would like to control the narrative. Things wouldn't work for them. Every time you go against institutions you're going to expect a hit. But that doesn't mean you're doing wrong."
