Andreas Hale
Jake Paul is closer to achieving his dream of becoming a world champion.
The World Boxing Association (WBA) has ranked Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) at No. 14 following his win Saturday over former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. The social media influencer-turned-professional boxer is now eligible to challenge WBA cruiserweight champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez for a world championship.
Before the fight, the WBA suggested that it would rank Paul if he defeated Chavez Paul, 28, outworked a listless Chavez (54-7-1) over 10 rounds to earn a unanimous decision at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Ramirez defended his WBA and WBO titles in the co-main event with a decision win over Yuniel Dorticos.
Paul is ranked one spot ahead of American Craig Parker (20-0, 20 KOs), who most recently fought at heavyweight on April 1 and won via knockout. He is behind Italian Giovanni Cristian Scuderi (12-0, 5 KOs), who hasn’t fought at cruiserweight since September 2022 and has spent his past four fights competing at heavyweight.
