Social media superstar Jake Paul will look to climb a bit closer to being viewed as a legitimate boxer this August. Paul is set to face former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in a Showtime pay-per-view headliner in Cleveland on Sunday, Aug. 29. Woodley and Paul will come face-to-face at a press conference Paul vs Woodley at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday afternoon. Paul is coming off a knockout win over another former UFC fighter, stopping Ben Askren in less than one round in April. That win ran Paul's pro record to 3-0, all three wins coming by knockout. Paul also has stoppage wins over fellow YouTube star and former NBA star Nate Robinson. A win over Woodley would be the most meaningful win of Paul's career as he's the most accomplished striker Paul will have ever stood across the ring from.
Woodley's UFC career came to an end after a four-fight losing skid. Prior to that bad run, Woodley established himself as one of the UFC's greatest welterweights ever, with a nearly three-year championship reign. Woodley's MMA record is 19-7-1 with seven knockout wins. It was a rare undisputed championship bout with potential pound-for-pound ramifications. But for 154-pound titleholders Jermell Charlo and Brian Castaño, there Jake Paul vs Woodley fight time would be no four-belt champion crowned when they met last Saturday in San Antonio. Instead, this exciting, tense and highly skilled junior middleweight summit ended in a disputed draw. It was a result made much more controversial upon the reveal of Nelson Vasquez's 117-111 scorecard in favor of Charlo following a close fight in which many felt Castaño had done enough to win. Charlo (34-1-1, 18 KOs), the 31-year-old native of Houston who retained his WBA, WBC and IBF titles, certainly deserves praise for a late rally that saw him sweep the final three rounds on each of the judges' scorecards.