Who is Jake Paul? The YouTuber or the boxer? Nowadays, he is both. But once upon a time, Jake Paul was a name often uttered only with his brother Logan Paul. Jake started his career with Vine videos and as a Disney Channel actor on Bizaardvark.
But he soon began his YouTube channel, which took off massively after he was let go by the House of Mouse because of his partying lifestyle.
With over 20 million subscribers, his channel is still going well, but around 2019, the guy seemed to hit the wall of his YouTube fame and began getting roped into controversies.
Of course, the most famous one is the video that brought him and his brother in trouble- the Aokigahara forest video, where they showed a dead body. The brothers have rebranded from the controversies, and Jake Paul has significantly pivoted his career to being a boxer.
Forbes reported that Jake Paul earned $40 million in 2021 from Boxing and another $5 million from ancillary sources like videos. That made him Forbes’ number 20th highest-paid athlete that year. In his recent 2023 fight with Nate Diaz, he took home $2 million, and it’s estimated that with his PPV share, the number could skyrocket to $10 million.
How Much Did Jake Paul Make from Boxing?
When Jake Paul started his career in Boxing, he did everything possible to draw attention to himself. So he compared himself to the greatest of the field- Muhammad Ali, Floyd Mayweather, and Mike Tyson. But could he earn as much as they did at the height of their careers? Yes. In 2021, Forbes released a report stating that Paul had made $40 million from his three wins that year.
Also, he was labeled as the highest-paid YouTube star that year because he took home an extra $5 million from his videos and other endeavors. A total of $45 million ensured him a spot at number 20 on the Forbes list of the highest-paid athletes in the world that year. He was the first boxer on the list and was ahead of established players like Novak Djokovic ($34.5 million).
These records didn’t stay only in 2021. In the recent 2023 match against Nate Diaz, a former MMA fighter, Paul won and added another $2 million to his wealth. His record is 7-1 (4 knockouts), with his current victory against Diaz in Dallas. As per The Independent, he also took home a cut of the pay-per-view money, which could push his earnings up to $10 million.
In his previous fights with Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva, he took home $2 million and $1.5 million, respectively. Diaz didn’t go home empty-handed, as he won his guaranteed share of $500,000. While the amount Jake Paul is taking home is impressive, it is a downgrade from the $30 million he got (with his PPV earnings) after his loss from Tommy Fury.
But he will meet Fury again for a rematch. In that losing match, he commanded 65% of the PPV money. But compared to that fight, he had to settle for a 50-50 percent split with Diaz for PPV. It’s clear that Paul is earning the big bucks right now. This has made many ask if he is saving Boxing as a sport.
Is Jake Paul Saving Boxing?
In an interview with MovieMaker, director of Untold, the Netflix show that follows Jake Paul’s journey to becoming a boxer, Andrew Renzi, was asked if the YouTube star saved the sport. Renzi agreed and said that he did because it was a dying field before Paul glamorized it again. He said:
“I think that Jake Paul has legitimately saved the current state of Boxing. Yes, I do. I think that Boxing was a dying sport. Jake Paul comes along, and not only is he getting big fights with big fighters, but he’s getting people like Amanda Serrano a million-dollar paycheck — people that deserve it. He hasn’t saved it, but he is [in the process of] saving Boxing.”
The director also confessed that he was surprised to see the former internet sensation take his boxing career so seriously. Renzi elaborated:
“I walked into that gym on day one in Puerto Rico. He was training. I would see how hard he would work, flipping the tires, sweating. He was able to push his body to a degree that I’ve just never seen in somebody who doesn’t have to. It was really impressive.”
What do you think about the amount Jake Paul takes home from his boxing matches?
Does he deserve the millions? Moreover, has he really brought boxing back into the limelight again?
Let us know in the comments.
Source: Forbes
