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Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff Writer
Jake Paul’s opponent in his next boxing match will be Andre August (10-1 as a pro boxer), officials told ESPN on Wednesday.
The YouTuber-turned-prizefighter will face August on Dec. 15 in Orlando, Florida. The bout will be contested at cruiserweight (200 pounds) and is contracted for eight rounds.
This represents a shift in strategies for Paul, who in his boxing career has faced primarily older MMA fighters who have made a name for themselves in the UFC.
While this fight doesn’t have the big-name value of previous ones, Paul’s critics have wanted him to fight legitimate boxers — and August, by far Paul’s most experienced opponent in boxing, is representative of that.
“I’m a professional boxer and I want to be world champion, so I need to pursue the path towards greatness against people who have been boxing their whole life,” Paul said in a statement.
The card will stream on DAZN and is not a pay-per-view event.
Paul (7-1, 4 KOs) is coming off a unanimous decision win over former UFC star Nate Diaz in August. Before that, the Ohio native who lives and trains in Puerto Rico, felt his first career defeat, against Tommy Fury.
Paul, 26, also owns boxing victories over former UFC champions Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley (two).
“Pound-for-pound, the great Terence Crawford fought a 9-14 opponent in his ninth fight, Canelo Alvarez fought a 0-1 opponent, and Gervonta Davis fought an opponent that had 31 losses,” said Nakisa Bidarian, Paul’s business partner and co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions. “But Terence, Canelo and Gervonta didn’t have the world watching. Jake Paul does, and he’s once again putting it all on the line taking on a 10-1 opponent.”
August, 35, is on a five-fight winning streak. This will be the Houston-based fighter’s first time competing in an eight-round bout.
“Jake Paul has the money, the fame, the team and the resources but he doesn’t have my hunger,” August said in a statement. “When that bell rings, I am going to go straight to Jake Paul and ring his bell and send him back to YouTube for good.”
The co-main event of the card will be a WBC women’s super middleweight title fight between Shadasia Green and Franchón Crews-Dezurn.