Jake Paul will take the next step in his transition from YouTuber to respected boxer when he faces former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in an eight-round boxing match with a catchweight of 190 pounds. The fight will take place in Paul's hometown of Cleveland at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on August 29.
Paul's brief career stands at 3-0 with all three victories coming by way of knockout. Although his opponents haven't exactly been considered dangerous with none having a background in striking. Woodley has never boxed but he is recognized as the best striker that Paul has faced by a pretty wide margin.
Woodley heads into the fight having had a successful MMA career that culminated with him becoming one of the best welterweight champions in UFC history. However, after starting his MMA career 19-3-1, Woodley suffered four straight losses and departed the UFC following a submission loss to Vicente Luque in March.
But Woodley is confident that the transition to boxing and his bad blood with Paul will fuel him to a victory. Will that happen or will Jake Paul continue to make his climb through the ranks and remain one of the biggest draws in the sport?
Sporting News provides the current odds and offers some insight on how to bet on Paul-Woodley.
MORE: Everything to know about Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley fight
Paul vs. Woodley odds
- Jake Paul: -190
- Tyron Woodley: +148
- Draw: +2000
According to odds from FanDuel, Paul is the favorite at -190, which means it will take a wager of $190 to see a profit of $100. Woodley currently sits as a +148 underdog, so $100 wager on the former UFC champion would return a $148 profit.
Pacquiao vs. Ugas prop bets
- Paul by (T)KO: -135
- Paul by decision: +900
- Woodley by (T)KO: +190
- Woodley by decision: +1200
Paul vs. Woodley prediction
This may appear to be Jake Paul's toughest test to date on paper, and it probably is. However, this might not be as difficult of an opponent as one would think. Although Woodley was an exceptional striker in his MMA career, everything is different when it comes to boxing. He's known for his overhand right but he'll need to find a way to set up that punch against an opponent who has solely trained boxing for the past few years.
It's not an easy task.
Furthermore, Paul will own a height, age and size advantage over his opponent. Aside from being 15 years young, Paul will also have a four-inch height and two-inch reach advantage. The fight will be at a catchweight of 190 pounds and Woodley has never competed above 170 pounds. That is a lot to overcome. Sprinkle in the fact that Woodley hasn't won a fight in nearly three years -- going 0-4 and not being remotely competitive in the process -- and there are even more questions surrounding Woodley's capability to successfully transition into a new sport. Not to mention that he has been outstruck 327-114 in his four losses. That simply won't cut it.
One thing that is routinely underestimated is Paul's dedication to his craft. Although he has yet to face a "real" fighter, Paul has demonstrated a solid foundation that's built around an efficient jab that sets up his other punches. And a jab is the one thing that is underutilized in MMA and most fighters struggle to deal with it.
It's not outside of the realm of possibility that Woodley could pull off the upset but there are simply too many advantages in Paul's favor to ignore. The only real question is if Paul will get another knockout or if he'll end up finally having his fight decided by the three judges outside of the ring.
Woodley has been only knocked out once by strikes and that was in 2012 to Nate Marquardt. He hasn't taken a lot of punishment but boxing is simply a different universe altogether. If he hasn't developed another weapon outside of the overhand right, he'll suffer having to eat a healthy diet of jabs until Paul unleashes the right hand to end the fight. It just feels like too much for Woodley to overcome and he'll eventually be stopped inside of the distance.
Sporting News prediction: Jake Paul by (T)KO (-135)