By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist
There’s no real MMA news to talk about so this week I’ll just talk about the Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley boxing match. I understand some might not care for that, but it was either this or talk about pro wrestling and I figure PWTorch will contact me if they ever want to hear my take on wrestling, so it’ll be boxing. I’ll try to get back to MMA as soon as possible.
With that out of the way, I’ll go back to the title of this blog. Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley is a mismatch. It’s not as big a mismatch as Logan Paul vs. Floyd Mayweather, but it’s still pretty big. Anytime you step into another person’s domain, it’s likely a mismatch. The only exceptions would be if you’re a genetic freak or the other person isn’t all that good. Jake Paul likely isn’t a great boxer but he’s not some bum either. There’s no stories of him going off and wrecking guys like young Mike Tyson, but he’s knocked guys out. He’s got power and knows how to use it.
On the other side, Woodley had a good MMA career, but this is different. There’s a huge difference between MMA boxing and regular boxing, anyone who watches both sports can tell you that. Conor McGregor is a good MMA striker. I think most people could agree on that, even if they don’t like the guy. He was hopelessly outmatched in his fight against Floyd Mayweather. Now, Jake Paul isn’t Mayweather, but Woodley isn’t McGregor.
Jake Paul is good enough that the only way Woodley has a shot at beating him is the proverbial Puncher’s Chance. Woodley has some power, but are his hands going to be quick enough? What about his footwork? What about his defense? He’s got a pretty good chin from what I remember, but it’s going to be tested. Woodley also recently turned 39 years old. And to quote Shaq, “39 ain’t 29.” Woodley’s looking for a big payday before going off to coach or make the world a better place or whatever he wants. To be clear, I’m not hating or anything like that. I think this is great for him, it’ll probably be the biggest payday he’s ever gotten.
On the other hand, Paul is fighting for his career and future earnings. He’s only 24, he’s got his whole career ahead of him. A loss here derails that and sets him back a good deal. And if he doesn’t understand that, the sycophants in his posse surely do and will try to get him as focused as possible.
That about wraps it up. I could pontificate more and try to stretch things out but this is about as simple as “Old MMA warhorse fights young up-and-coming boxer”. If this was a MMA fight, Woodley wins with ease. If it’s a boxing fight, Paul wins with ease. It’s just that simple and would be a stunning upset if Woodley were to win. Thanks for reading.
Comments and suggestions can be emailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @hydenfrank
I’ll always run your stuff, you are the most valued and longest tenured writer here. I greatly appreciate your work.
Hide quoted text
On Tue, Jun 1, 2021, 10:01 AM Frank Hyden
Hey, here’s a blog I wrote for this week. With no real news, I just talked about the Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley boxing fight. If you don’t want to run it, I certainly understand.
Thanks,
Frank
HYDEN BLOG: Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley is a Mismatch
By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist
There’s no real MMA news to talk about so this week I’ll just talk about the Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley boxing match. I understand some might not care for that, but it was either this or talk about pro wrestling and I figure PWTorch will contact me if they ever want to hear my take on wrestling, so it’ll be boxing. I’ll try to get back to MMA as soon as possible.
With that out of the way, I’ll go back to the title of this blog. Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley is a mismatch. It’s not as big a mismatch as Logan Paul vs. Floyd Mayweather, but it’s still pretty big. Anytime you step into another person’s domain, it’s likely a mismatch. The only exceptions would be if you’re a genetic freak or the other person isn’t all that good. Jake Paul likely isn’t a great boxer but he’s not some bum either. There’s no stories of him going off and wrecking guys like young Mike Tyson, but he’s knocked guys out. He’s got power and knows how to use it.
On the other side, Woodley had a good MMA career, but this is different. There’s a huge difference between MMA boxing and regular boxing, anyone who watches both sports can tell you that. Conor McGregor is a good MMA striker. I think most people could agree on that, even if they don’t like the guy. He was hopelessly outmatched in his fight against Floyd Mayweather. Now, Jake Paul isn’t Mayweather, but Woodley isn’t McGregor.
Jake Paul is good enough that the only way Woodley has a shot at beating him is the proverbial Puncher’s Chance. Woodley has some power, but are his hands going to be quick enough? What about his footwork? What about his defense? He’s got a pretty good chin from what I remember, but it’s going to be tested. Woodley also recently turned 39 years old. And to quote Shaq, “39 ain’t 29.” Woodley’s looking for a big payday before going off to coach or make the world a better place or whatever he wants. To be clear, I’m not hating or anything like that. I think this is great for him, it’ll probably be the biggest payday he’s ever gotten.
On the other hand, Paul is fighting for his career and future earnings. He’s only 24, he’s got his whole career ahead of him. A loss here derails that and sets him back a good deal. And if he doesn’t understand that, the sycophants in his posse surely do and will try to get him as focused as possible.
That about wraps it up. I could pontificate more and try to stretch things out but this is about as simple as “Old MMA warhorse fights young up-and-coming boxer”. If this was a MMA fight, Woodley wins with ease. If it’s a boxing fight, Paul wins with ease. It’s just that simple and would be a stunning upset if Woodley were to win. Thanks for reading.
Comments and suggestions can be emailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @hydenfrank
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