by Love him or hate him, in just seven professional fights, Jake Paul has become one of the biggest names in boxing – and that doesn’t change after losing to Tommy Fury over the weekend.
At just 26 years old and having only been fighting professionally for three years, the American has amassed a fame and fortune that only a select few in the sport could even dream of – despite initially gaining fame as a Disney, Vine and YouTube star.
Following Paul throughout his three-year career so far has been a deluge of insults and insults from people inside and outside the industry: tricks, jokes, bad for boxing, scams – he’s heard it all. But the numbers don’t lie and even despite his first loss, when the Saudi match against Paul ended in disappointment, he still walked away with £25m, he claims.
Needless to say, this is a staggering amount of cash. To put that into perspective, it took Floyd Mayweather 38 fights to start earning a similar amount. Tyson Fury is only slightly above him – and after two losses to Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua will fall below him when he fights Jermaine Franklin on April 1.
And don’t twist it, while Paul’s momentum has been halted by failure, the money train is still going full steam ahead. A rematch with Fury, a YouTuber KSI battle, a two-fight deal with Nate Diaz, and even a future fight with Conor McGregor – Paul has options, and each of them will bring huge amounts of cash.
Jake Paul (right) suffered his first loss as a boxer, losing to Tommy Fury (left) on Sunday
However, Paul claims he earned £25m despite the loss and is one of the highest earners in the sport
According to Forbes, even before last weekend’s extravaganza in Saudi Arabia, Paul was worth around £31m. He reportedly earned £33m in 2021 from boxing alone, beating Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley twice, although “The Problem Child” at the time insisted he had actually earned more.
Paul hit the jackpot once again, picking up another multi-million dollar payday after beating Anderson Silva in 2022. Despite facing the 47-year-old veteran MMA star, interest was high, as was when his rematch with Woodley sold over 500,000 pay-per-view deals.
The numbers put many of those at the top of the game to shame, and he’s not the only one benefiting. Fury, beating Paul, reached a career high of at least £3.7m and will also be moving to the official WBC cruiserweight ranking. Meanwhile, the reigning cruiserweight champions Arsen Goulamirian, Jai Opetaia, Lawrence Okolie and Badou Jack may not generate the same total this year.
Of course, there are those who earn more, but not many. Mayweather earned a staggering £65m against Canelo in 2013, £223.5m against McGregor in 2017 and £223.5m against Manny Pacquiao in 2015. money, with £20 million.
Fury, meanwhile, earned just over £30m for wins over both Derek Chisora and Dillian Whyte in 2022, as well as earning around £20m for his trilogy of fights with Deontay Wilder. However, he only received £5m for his win over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.
According to The Mirror, Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk earned around £33m for their rematch in Saudi Arabia last year, although the Briton earned £46m for winning his rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr.
It should be noted that even the top earners in the sport received a fraction of what Paul earns after just seven fights. In his seventh appearance, Mayweather defeated Tony Duran (12-15-1) in an undercard match at the Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Fury defeated Aleksandrs Selezens (3-6) in Danny McIntosh vs Nathan Cleverly at York Hall. Joshua defeated Matt Skelton (28-8) on the Tony Bellew undercard at Liverpool’s Echo Arena. Canelo beat Cristian Hernandez – then 1-0, now 5-0 – in Guadalajara.
Floyd Mayweather (left) and Anthony Joshua (right) are the two highest paid boxers in recent years
Tyson Fury (left) earned close to £30m for both wins over Derek Chisora and Dillian Whyt
Canelo Alvarez was earning a fraction of what Jake Paul was earning when he was in his seventh fight
Indeed, the level Paul struggled with is not significantly better – probably not better at all – but the profile and scale of events are in a different stratosphere. And the American’s influence on boxing – and indeed the combat sport as a whole – is undeniable.
After signing Amanda Serrano with Most Valuable Promotions, Paul will turn the fighter into a promoter again as the Puerto Rican takes on Katie Taylor in another historic matchup, this time in Ireland, later this year.
He has also signed a multi-fight deal with the Professional Fighters League and is expected to make an appearance in the Octagon over the next year.
Even former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is clearly swayed by Paul’s demand for a pay raise for his fighters, who left the organization for exactly this reason. Now he is reportedly asking for £24m to switch to boxing.
And in boxing, Paul has made it very clear that it’s not necessarily talent that makes money or opens up opportunities. A perfect example is Tommy Fury. Before Paul, he was a low-level boxer with no real hope of climbing the career ladder or making big money.
Paul’s reputation as a boxer may have changed after the loss, but he remains a pay-per-view star
Paul and fellow YouTuber KSI (above) demonstrate the power social media can have in boxing
Now entering Paul’s world, he’s made huge bucks, he’ll do it again in a rematch and has the opportunity to fight KSI – or indeed any social media star – in another profitable matchup. Why would he go back to fight little-known journeymen for a fraction of the money? Why would anyone do that?
Of course, Paul isn’t the only one using the social media model that has taken the world by storm; KSI and his Misfits brand are making huge strides on DAZN, while Mayweather regularly cashes in on almost pointless shows despite the apparent lack of fan interest.
But it was Paul who went beyond the social media boxer and became almost a full-fledged professional before losing to Fury. That perception may have changed now, but his status as a true pay-per-view star has not.
He still has that dangerous right arm, he still has plenty of intriguing dance partners to choose from, and he still has an audience to win over. Paul lost his first battle with a professional boxer, but his war with those who want him out of the game is far from over.
