Tyron Woodley doesn’t plan on his pay-per-view boxing bout against Jake Paul on Sunday to be a one and done situation inside the squared circle.
On Sunday, August 29, former Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight titleholder Tyron Woodley will make his professional boxing debut against YouTube celebrity and boxing sensation Jake Paul. Currently, Paul sits as a -200 betting favorite heading into the matchup inside Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
A surprising number considering the former Strikeforce champion’s extensive resume in mixed martial arts, and Paul being a three-fight neophyte in boxing.
Despite the doubters in Vegas, Woodley, 39, believes there is a major difference between himself and previous Paul opponents Ben Askren, Nate Robinson, and Ali Eson Gib: He brings serious power. And it’s a level of power he doesn’t believe his opponent is even getting to see during fight camp sparring.
Tyron Woodley expects to deliver power that Paul’s never tasted before
“He’s about to have a problem. He ain’t never felt no power. What has he ever felt. You think these sparring partners are hurting him? No, they don’t want to miss their little weekly paycheck,” Woodley said on a new episode of the How U Livin’ J Piven podcast. “They don’t want to miss their little cheerleading outfits they are gonna get. The pom-poms they’re gonna walk out there [to the ring] with, looking like idiots.”
It’s a fair claim since fellow YouTube personality Gib, and former NBA player Nate Robinson had no boxing experience before their bouts with Paul. The Californian’s most recent opponent in Askren is a former multi-time MMA world champion and UFC veteran, however, he succeeded in the sport completely based on his gifts as a grappler and worked to hide his weaknesses as a striker. Woodley, on the other hand, earned his UFC gold by knocking out a feared striker in Robbie Lawler.
Woodley expects to deal out nasty brutality on Sunday night
Some may see this fight as a chance for Woodley to cash in one last time in a combat sports career that is close to finished. However, “The Chosen One” doesn’t see it that way, and views his fight on Sunday night as step one in a pursuit to be recognized as a two-sport champion. And he expects his first foray into boxing to be a “nasty and brutal” night for his opponent.
“I’m looking forward to chase down a boxing world championship belt. I’m gonna start the party by f*cking up Jake Paul on Sunday. I’m going to punch him everywhere. Neck, throat, head, back of the head; give me all the warnings, give me all the smoke. It’s gonna be nasty and brutal,” Woodley said. … “I’m gonna f*ck him up. This ain’t a bucket list for me. For him, he’s gonna go out and die on his shield,” Woodley said.
The full episode of How U Livin’ J Piven, hosted by actor Jeremy Piven, debuted Aug. 25 and can be found on all podcast services.
Tyron Woodley vs Jake Paul takes place on Sunday, Aug. 29, at 8 pm ET and will air exclusively on Showtime PPV for US $59.99.
