Andreas HaleNov 6, 2025, 07:49 AM ET
Andreas Hale is a combat sports reporter at ESPN. Andreas covers MMA, boxing and pro wrestling. In Andreas’ free time, he plays video games, obsesses over music and is a White Sox and 49ers fan. He is also a host for Sirius XM’s Fight Nation. Before joining ESPN, Andreas was a senior writer at DAZN and Sporting News. He started his career as a music journalist for outlets including HipHopDX, The Grammys and Jay-Z’s Life+Times. He is also an NAACP Image Award-nominated filmmaker as a producer for the animated short film “Bridges” in 2024.
In August 2021, [Jake Paul](https://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/38041591/jake-problem-child…
Andreas HaleNov 6, 2025, 07:49 AM ET
Andreas Hale is a combat sports reporter at ESPN. Andreas covers MMA, boxing and pro wrestling. In Andreas’ free time, he plays video games, obsesses over music and is a White Sox and 49ers fan. He is also a host for Sirius XM’s Fight Nation. Before joining ESPN, Andreas was a senior writer at DAZN and Sporting News. He started his career as a music journalist for outlets including HipHopDX, The Grammys and Jay-Z’s Life+Times. He is also an NAACP Image Award-nominated filmmaker as a producer for the animated short film “Bridges” in 2024.
In August 2021, Jake Paul revealed a “hit list” of opponents he wanted to fight in his professional boxing career. Paul was three fights into his new quest as he sought to transition from social media influencer to full-fledged fighter. Up to that point, Paul had fought fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib, NBA slam dunk champion Nate Robinson and retired MMA fighter Ben Askren, knocking out each of them. But because of Paul’s inexperience in the sweet science, his list read like a Christmas list written by an outrageously optimistic 8-year-old who wanted a mansion, yacht and pet dinosaur delivered by Santa Claus.
Paul may not have received the pet dinosaur – he already had the mansion and the yacht – but he was able to check off many of the dozen names on his hit list, pulling off what was thought to be unfathomable for a YouTuber with no amateur boxing experience. And according to Paul, he’s just getting started.
“Boxing fans and media thought the list was crazy, ludicrous and impossible,” Paul told ESPN. “But the people inside my circle believed because we know the inner workings of boxing and how good I was getting. As long as I kept winning, showing improvement and putting on big shows to become the money man in boxing, the fights would come. A lot of these fights wouldn’t happen if people weren’t getting paid because there’s too much risk involved.”
Paul was scheduled to face Gervonta “Tank” Davis on Nov. 14 in an exhibition bout at Kaseya Center in Miami before the fight was canceled on Monday, after a civil lawsuit filed by ex-girlfriend Courtney Rossel accused Davis of battery and aggravated battery, among other things.
Had the fight happened, Davis would have been the seventh person on Paul’s list of 12 desired opponents, a list that also included Conor McGregor, KSI, Canelo Alvarez, Kamaru Usman and Paul’s older brother, Logan. To date, he has fought AnEsonGib, Robinson, Askren, Tyron Woodley (twice), Nate Diaz and Tommy Fury from the list. Paul also has victories over former UFC fighters Anderson Silva and Mike Perry, and boxers Andre August, Ryan Bourland, Mike Tyson and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
With the Davis fight off, and most of the names on that first list crossed off, it’s time for a new set of goals for Paul. So here’s a new hit list, one that Paul says “will keep me busy for a few years.”
Paul took a look at his options and broke down his newest list for ESPN.
Terence Crawford, undisputed super middleweight champion
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Crawford: I’m the greatest boxer of my era
Terence Crawford speaks after his unanimous decision win over Canelo Alvarez.
Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs) is coming off beating Alvarez for the undisputed super middleweight championship and securing his position as the best pound-for-pound fighter in boxing.
“That’s a megafight,” Paul said. “I respect him as a fighter and arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter alongside Oleksandr Usyk. I love a challenge, man. I know it would be an incredibly difficult and very, very tough fight. But, at the end of the day, I’m here to test my limits.”
The likelihood of that fight happening is remote considering that Crawford, 38, hasn’t fully committed to continuing his career. If he does, Crawford would likely chase history by acquiring another world title rather than chasing a check.
“Would Terence do it? I don’t know,” Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian told ESPN. “He’s wired differently.”
By “wired differently,” Bidarian means that Crawford has long been after legacy over financial gain. Paul has nothing to offer aside from a massive payday, and that may not be enough to lure the three-division undisputed champion into a fight.
KSI, YouTuber-turned-boxer
A fight between Paul and KSI has been talked about for years. KSI fought Jake’s older brother, Logan, twice. The first fight, an amateur bout in 2018, was scored a majority draw, and the following year, KSI won the pro rematch by split decision. Since then, KSI has also transitioned from YouTuber to boxer by launching a celebrity boxing promotion, Misfits Boxing, and went 3-0 with one no contest before stepping up to the ranks in a losing effort to Tommy Fury in 2023. KSI hasn’t fought since, and Jake Paul is unsure if he ever will.
“I don’t think this one is super realistic anymore,” Paul said. “We haven’t heard anything from their side in a while.”
But Bidarian believes that the fight is too big not to happen and will eventually come together.
“The fight has to happen,” he said. “It will happen. I honestly believe it’s going to be the best financial opportunity KSI will have in the sport of boxing.”
With KSI no longer the CEO of Misfits Boxing, could he look to Paul for a big-money event?
Alex Pereira, UFC light heavyweight champion
Paul told ESPN that there’s still an appetite for him to face the UFC’s biggest stars and one of its top strikers, but McGregor is no longer on his list.
“He’s fried,” Paul said of McGregor. “He’s not going to fight again.”
So now Paul is looking for an MMA fighter who would qualify as a worthy opponent with significant drawing power. And the name that jumps off the page is Pereira.
“I think that is a perfect fight to further show Jake’s dominance over the best of the best in MMA,” Bidarian said. “I think many would dismiss it and say Pereira would kill Jake Paul, but somebody should ask [UFC CEO] Dana White and see what he says. If Dana White ever actually felt comfortable that one of his martial artists could beat Jake Paul, he would 100 percent endorse it because no matter what Dana may say, there’d be nothing he would enjoy more than seeing Jake Paul lose.”
Paul said he’s had preliminary conversations with Pereira and his team but would have to figure out a way to get the UFC to sign off.
“His team is down [to do the fight],” Paul said. “I think the only thing preventing it is the UFC and if these guys can get out of their contracts to fight me. It would be a massive fight at some point, and I know he’s down to make it happen.”
Anthony Joshua, former unified heavyweight champion
Paul has heard the criticism over his facing smaller fighters and wants to prove to the world that he’s willing to take on one of the best heavyweights of the generation.
“People are telling me to fight someone my own size. OK, how about I fight somebody who is bigger than me?” Paul said. “His size makes him a tougher challenge than Crawford. That’s the most dangerous fight for me right now.”
An early 2026 date was penciled in for a potential fight, but those plans are changing with Joshua out of action following elbow surgery earlier this year. Joshua’s promoter, Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn, has said Joshua could return to the ring in December, but it’s unlikely that it will be against Paul. Nevertheless, Joshua remains the potential opponent with the highest probability of accepting a fight with Paul. Aside from both fighters being massive draws, the United States vs. United Kingdom element would add another layer of significance. Ideally, Paul would want to face Joshua in the U.S., but it would be difficult to shake the idea of the fight being staged at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Bidarian has his concerns with Paul facing the power-punching heavyweight with a successful amateur pedigree, but he has learned to never doubt what Paul can accomplish.
“Joshua is unequivocally a fight that he wants, and I will do it for him,” Bidarian said.
Tommy Fury, cruiserweight prospect
On Paul’s 13-fight pro record, the only blemish came in a split-decision loss to Fury in 2023. The loss has left a bad taste in Paul’s mouth, and he’s looking to get his revenge.
“This is the only fight that has nothing to do with the business of it,” Paul said. “No one cares about Tommy Fury, but I have to avenge that loss. It must happen at some point.”
Paul has worked hard to secure a rematch but has alleged that Fury’s asking price is too high. Fury (11-0, 4 KOs) has fought only twice since beating Paul, with unanimous decision wins over KSI in 2023 and Kenan Hanjalic in 2025. In between those fights, Fury dealt with a hand injury and struggles with alcohol.
John Fury, Tommy’s father and trainer, recently told iFL TV that there were ongoing negotiations with Paul.
“Well, we are trying to do what we can. We are looking at the Jake Paul rematch,” John said. “We are trying to dot a few I’s and cross a few T’s. ... I have given them a number; let’s see if they can meet it. If they don’t meet the number ... f— off.”
Bidarian confirmed that talks with Fury have hit a snag due to the financial demands.
“Unfortunately, the only reason it hasn’t happened is because of business,” he said. “And when I say because of businesses, the demands that are being made by Fury’s team. ... What they are asking for just doesn’t make any rational sense to me. But, for me, that is the fight I want the most for Jake.”
Oleksandr Usyk, undisputed heavyweight champion
Although Usyk is a two-division undisputed champion, the Ukrainian doesn’t possess the drawing power of Joshua, Crawford or Alvarez. The added wrinkle is that this fight wouldn’t take place as a boxing match. Instead, it would be an MMA fight.
Usyk recently issued the challenge on X, while promoting his role in the MMA film “The Smashing Machine.”
“Soon, I’ll close the book on boxing, and after that, I’ll be waiting for you in the cage,” Usyk wrote. “Let’s see if you’ve got the balls or just a hunger for hype.”
Usyk is expected to face Fabio Wardley, who defeated Joseph Parker in October to become the WBO mandatory challenger. But Usyk has made it clear that his boxing career is winding down and he’s seeking a new challenge. It’s one of the few times a fighter has called out Paul, which has added intrigue and Usyk’s addition to the list.
“He’s on my MMA hit list, which also includes Nate Diaz,” Paul said. “I just think it would be an insane event and something fun to do where I can go back to my wrestling roots, start kicking and work on some jiu-jitsu.”
Canelo Alvarez, four-division world champion
A Canelo-Paul fight was finalized but couldn’t be delivered when the Mexican superstar did an about-face and signed a multifight deal with Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority and president of the Saudi Boxing Federation. Although the deal falling apart left a sour taste in Paul’s mouth, he still has great interest in challenging himself against Canelo.
Paul and Alalshikh recently met in New York and ironed out any differences they previously had, which gives the fight a glimmer of hope.
“I think Turki is the man who can make it happen,” Paul said. “I’m open to it, Turki has expressed some interest in it, and, obviously, Canelo had already signed up to fight me, so I think all that is left to do is to make it happen.”
Considering that Canelo has no clear option for his next fight after losing to Crawford in August, he may warm up to the idea of a blockbuster fight with Paul.
Ryan Garcia, welterweight contender
Former friends, Paul and Garcia, have had a history of conflict and given their massive social media followings. A fight between the two would likely be a monstrous event.
“That fight makes all the sense in the world,” Bidarian said. “It could happen in 2026 or 2027. Ryan’s a great boxer, he’s naturally bigger than ‘Tank’ Davis and is an unbelievable promoter. If there were any two fighters who understand promoting, getting fans interested in showing up and creating disruptive moments that the world focuses on, it’s them.”
Although Garcia lost in a significant upset to Rolando “Rolly” Romero in May, he remains one of the biggest stars in boxing. Garcia, who has never been a world champion, is in an interesting position where he could chase a payday instead of the elusive belt.