Jake Paul opened up about choosing the boxing ring as his redemption arena after spiraling into financial ruin and dark thoughts due to his brother Logan’s controversial ‘suicide forest’ video scandal.
As the clock ticks down to his most monumental fight yet, Paul is all set to fight it out with legendary pugilist Mike Tyson on November 15 at Texas’ AT&T Stadium. The stakes are sky-high with not just pride but also a whopping shared $80 million on the line for the YouTuber-turned-boxer and the heavyweight icon.
Paul boasts a 10-1 boxing record, his solitary loss dealt by Tommy Fury in 2023 via a points decision. His pivot to the sport in 2020 followed a tumultuous chapter marked by excessive partying and substance abuse, which he traced back to the fallout from his brother’s highly contentious actions.
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Logan Paul ignited worldwide outrage early in 2018 when he posted a video featuring a suicide victim that he encountered in a forest in Japan. The clip brought intense scrutiny not only on himself but on Jake too, sending shockwaves through Jake’s once-thriving career.
Speaking candidly to the Hollywood Reporter, Jake recounted the ordeal: “I got lumped into all my brother’s hate. It was like, ‘F— the Pauls. F— both of those people.’ It was bad. The suicide forest thing basically ruined my career and income.
“I lost probably $30million in deals. There was one $15million deal for retail products that fell apart. They were able to get out of it because of a morality clause.”
Paul’s life had spun out of control with excessive drinking and drug use in Los Angeles. He even contemplated suicide at one point.
“I had a plan. I mean, it’s f—— crazy,” he revealed. “I was going to put a bunch of gas cans in my Lamborghini and get really drunk and drive off the top of this cliff in Calabasas. It’s called Stunt Road.”
However, he chose not to follow through with his plan, fueled by determination to prove his detractors wrong. “I was not going to let them win. I was like, ‘I’m going to fight. This is what every social media hater wants is to wake up and see Jake Paul killed himself’.”
Mike Tyson and Jake Paul (
Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix)
Currently, Paul is gearing up for the much-anticipated match with Tyson. Although criticized for setting up the fight, believed by some to be a money-making stunt, he emphasizes it’s not about the financial gain.
At a recent press conference, he stated defiantly, “Making history,” underlining his aspirations. “This is what it’s all about for me, man. I’m a kid from Ohio.”
“They’ll never give me credit. That’s the way it is. If I was walking on water, they would say it’s because I couldn’t swim. And this is to make history. The people think I’m going to get knocked out by this strong, powerful guy.”
“All the people in my comments say, ‘look at his power. He’s going to get KO’d.’ This has taken a chance to fight somebody as vicious as Mike can be. You got to risk it for the biscuit. That’s the name of the game. I’m here to make history. I’m here for a challenge. I’m here to fight one of the most dangerous men in all of boxing.”
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