YouTube sensation turned boxer Jake Paul has been inundated with fight offers since he beat Mike Tyson in Texas last month.

However his latest suitor, WBA Gold Cruiserweight champion Paul Bamba, was actually once beaten by a man who has just one win to his name. It’s highly doubtful that even some of the sport’s most ardent followers, or even those armed with a deadly encyclopedic knowledge of boxing, could tell you who Abraham Velazquez Salazar is.

Yet Salazar defeated 35-year-old Bamba back in June 2021. Coming into the clash on a two-fight winning streak, and with a 100% knock-out rate, the stage was set for Bamba to take his record to 3-0. However, Mexican national Salazar had other ideas and served up Bamba his first professional defeat via KO in the fourth round.

Salazar’s last fight, a defeat by Gabriel Kocsis, came in December 2022. He now appears to be inactive following eight losses and one win during his short stint in the ring.

Despite Paul riding on a high since defeating ‘Iron’ Mike in Arlington, he has faced hefty criticism for his choice of opponents. The Netflix-backed fight with Tyson earned a stunning 108 million global viewers and remarkably became the most-watched boxing fight since Muhammad Ali vs. Leon Spinks in 1978.

Since then, Paul has become one of the most in demand fighters on the planet. Daniel Dubois, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Roy Jones Jr have all challenged the social media star so far.

Bamba has since bounced back from his unceremonious defeat against Salazar and has won 16 fights, albeit with two further losses in between. However with Bamba having lost to a relative unknown, it’s likely Paul could face further flak should he elect to take on the Cruiserweight title holder.

Abraham Velazquez Salazar

Abraham Velazquez Salazar has one win in his career and that was against Paul Bamba ( 

Image:

YouTube)

Paul has made no secret of his intense desire to become a world champion, and Bamba now looks to have offered him the chance to contest for his first professional title. “Jake talks a lot about wanting to be a world champion so my simple message to him is that I have something that you want; a real title,” Bamba said via Bloody Elbow.

“You can come get it, you can come fight for it or whatever, you can keep doing the gimmick fights. At the end of the day I’ve put in the work. You can say you’ve taken boxing seriously and yeah you’ve made a lot of money but you haven’t earned anything in boxing.

“If you think about how I started everything versus how everything is going now, I didn’t wait for an opportunity I created one. And I went out and grabbed it by the horns so to speak and did my thing this year. Look at the facts; 14 fights, 14 KOs in one year, how many belts have I got here?”

“Five belts, two regional titles, an international title, a WBA Silver and now the WBA Gold World title which makes me the mandatory for Zurdo Ramirez. I’m actually doing s— in boxing to where I’m getting ranked, why isn’t Jake doing that?”

‘The Problem Child’ has so far faced the likes of former UFC stars, 39-year-old Nate Diaz and 49-year-old Anderson Silva, as well as former NBA star Nate Robinson, a man who has only stepped in the ring once. He has also faced ex-MMA star Mike Perry, who has a 0-2 record in the squared circle, and ex-Love Island star Tommy Fury, to whom he lost.

WBA Gold Cruiserweight world title holder Paul Bamba is willing to put his belt on the line against Jake Paul

WBA Gold Cruiserweight world title holder Paul Bamba is willing to put his belt on the line against Jake Paul ( 

Image:

@bambajuice/Instagram)

The barrage of condemnation Paul has faced over his choice of opponent has forced him to address his detractors. “F— the rankings. It’s just a number. Who cares? People just want to classify things and do a numbers chart,” he said.

“I’ve never looked at the rankings. I couldn’t care less. I know I’m the best in the world and I’m going to be world champion. There’s a long line out there and they can take a ticket and get in line to see who I want to fight next.

“I don’t say that as s— talk – I’m the biggest payday in the sport of boxing right now, so everyone wants to fight. When you’re the hot girl on the block, you can do what the f— you want.”

Whether Paul fights Bamba, or even somehow makes a play for Bamba’s conqueror, Salazar, all eyes will firmly be on who he chooses to face next.