Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. respects all fighters, except the one he’s competing against on June 28.
Emanating from the Honda Center in Anaheim, the former WBC middleweight world champion will step inside the squared circle for the first time in 2025 to take on YouTube star and every traditional boxing fan’s worst nightmare, Jake Paul.
With fight night right around the corner, Chavez Jr. recently appeared on The Helwani Show to discuss their upcoming clash and his unfiltered thoughts on ‘The Problem Child.’
“I respect all fighters in general, but I don’t have nothing significant to respect about Jake, like a good fighter,” Chavez Jr. said. “He’s a real fighter, I think so, but he’s only had 11 fights—it’s nothing special. He’s strong, that’s it.”
Will Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. be the ‘old timer’ that finally beats Jake Paul?
When Paul makes his 13th walk to the ring, he’ll bring with him an 11-1 record that is mostly padded by beating past-their-prime fighters like Mike Tyson, Anderson Silva, Nate Diaz, and Tyron Woodley. But while Paul has carved out a career by beating up people old enough to be his father, that won’t necessarily be the case with Chavez Jr.
La Leyenda Continua’ has not been terribly active in recent years, only competing once since December 2021, but he’s still under 40 years old and came out on top in his most recent outing against former UFC standout Uriah Hall last July.
But despite being more spry than the 58-year-old Tyson, oddsmakers still see Paul as the odds-on favorite, with sportsbooks listing him at a whopping -700. Meanwhile, Chavez Jr. is the undeniable underdog, trending at +450.
