Julio César Chávez Jr. and Jake Paul insist their | College News

While Julio César Chávez Jr.’s identify and lineage evoke historical past, self-discipline and glory, Jake Paul’s identify is linked to a fashionable phenomenon that has challenged the normal codes of boxing.

Paul’s arrival in the boxing highlight was not by standard means and although his bout with Chávez could seem to be a advertising spectacle, both fighters may benefit from a win.

At age 39 with 61 skilled fights (54-6-1, 34 KOs), Chávez returns to the to the Honda Center in Anaheim Saturday to face Paul, offering pre-fight speeches that combine confidence, maturity and a sense of responsibility. Away from the show, the Mexican says he centered on severe and deep preparation.

“We are preparing to the fullest, thoroughly, to arrive better than ever physically, well-focused. We have to be 100% for the fight,” Chávez instructed L.A. Times en Español, making it clear that this shouldn’t be just one other journey, but a combat that may open up more alternatives.

The son of Mexican boxing legend Julio César Chávez Sr., he is aware of that many see him as the final stepping stone to catapult Paul into boxing legitimacy, but he doesn’t share that view.

“He’s not going to beat me. I’m a better boxer than him,” Julio César Chávez Jr. stated.

The endorsement he obtained from Mexican boxing star Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez was interpreted as a vote of confidence in his skill.

“It’s important to listen to him,” Chávez stated. “I think Canelo knows I’m the better boxer than Jake Paul. … We’re going to hit him hard.”

Paul stated if he defeats Chávez, it is going to close the door on the Mexican fighter’s comeback after a stint in rehab.

“He’s going to retire,” Paul stated.

He dismissed Álvarez’s endorsement of his opponent.

“It’s definitely a sign of respect from Canelo, but he showed me the utmost respect by turning down $100 million not to fight me,” Paul stated, alluding to a potential combat against Álvarez that was being negotiated as lately as May before the Mexican star selected one other opponent. “He knows it’s not an easy fight.”

With a dozen fights under his belt, Paul (11-1, 7 KOs) has been constantly criticized for dealing with weaker opponents, with the newest one raising robust suspicions that opponents settle for limitations that favor Paul.

In November 2024, Paul confronted ageing legend Mike Tyson, whom he defeated by unanimous determination. Critics on social media immediately took challenge with both fighters. There have been moments it appeared Tyson may have completed Paul, but then appeared to back off and keep away from throwing essential punches.

Chávez made it clear that this combat shouldn’t be half of a setup nor does it have an agreed script.

“I don’t lend myself to that kind of thing,” Chávez stated. “The fight is normal and that’s all I can tell you.”

For the Mexican fighter, this bout represents one thing more than a purse or a likelihood to gain viral fame.

Jake Paul, left, and Julio César Chávez Jr. taunt each different following a weigh-in forward of their cruiserweight boxing match Friday in Anaheim.

(Chris Pizzello / Associated Press)

“It’s like an activation,” he stated. “There is the opportunity to fight for the world championship, even a rematch with Canelo.”

And while some have recommended that a Chávez loss would imply the top of his profession, he dismisses that emphatically,

“It hasn’t crossed my mind, I’m not going to lose,” he stated. “I’m thinking about winning and having a few fights after that.”

Paul, for his half, has made controversy a promotional instrument, but he has also sought, in his phrases, to make it clear that his ambition is severe.

In response to rumors potential opponents canceled before the combat with Chávez was finalized, Paul defined that “a cowardly Mexican was afraid to fight me. … Another great boxer did not deliver. We talked to [influencer and boxer] KSI, Tommy Fury… That led us to Chávez and to keep on the path of facing real opponents, former world champions and remain active on my way to becoming world champion.”

Paul, as is his customized, didn’t miss the chance to psychologically assault his rival. This time, he pointed to the symbolic weight of the Chávez surname.

“It’s added pressure for Chávez Jr., he doesn’t handle pressure well,” Paul stated. “… His dad wants this for his son, more than his son wants it. That can create a lot of problems and insecurities that I’m going to expose.”

Paul defends his historical past as a self-taught boxer who got here to change the foundations of the sport.

“I never wanted the respect. It’s about proving myself, creating one of the best sports stories to inspire the next generation,” he stated. “Without me, boxing would be dead.”

For Paul, the bout is one other step in his attempt to silence the purists and reassert himself as more than a YouTube movie star with gloves. For Chávez, it represents a likelihood to reclaim his misplaced place, to show that his lineage shouldn’t be just a household identify but professional expertise.

Boxers Jake Paul and Julio César Chávez Jr. attend a information convention at the Avalon Hollywood Theatre in Los Angeles on May 14.

(Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)

“I’m not worried, I’m preparing to win … I grabbed the fight because I’m going to win it,” Chávez insisted, downplaying any dangers.

In the face of the doubts surrounding the showdowns, both fighters assured followers will see a actual combat on Saturday.

“At the end of the day, above the ring, we are all the same,” Chávez stated.

Paul shouldn’t be frightened about what people assume of him.

“I don’t pay attention to what the boxing world says,” he stated. “Naturally, this world loves to shoot themselves in the foot and wants to keep criticizing me, but what we’ve realized is that they obviously have no power, no control, no weight because I’m still involved in the biggest events.”

This article first appeared in Spanish via L.A. Times en Español.