Boxing
Jake Paul will be ranked by WBC if he beats Hasim Rahman Jr.
Watch Jake Paul-Rahman Jr. on DAZN (UK & Ire only)
Jake Paul will face a professional boxer in the ring for the very first time on Saturday August 6 when he meets Hasim Rahman Jr. at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
And the WBC, one of four major championship boxing bodies, look set to immediately include the YouTube star turned boxer/promoter on their rankings if he is victorious.
On Twitter, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman posted: "Coming August 6, Jake Paul will take on Hasim Rahman Jr. Winning this fight will earn him a WBC ranking."
It wasn't made clear exactly where victory would place Paul in their rankings, but presumably it would land him on their cruiserweight charts, given where he has weighed for his previous outings against non-boxers such as former UFC stars Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren.
The current WBC cruiserweight champion is Ilunga Makabu, who was at one point having discussions about a fight against Canelo Alvarez, which would have seen the Mexican superstar aiming for a world title in another new weight class.
Unsurprisingly, the news did not go down well with some boxing fans who feel Paul should fight several experienced boxers before being considered for things such as rankings.
However if his initial ranking isn't very high, it would nonetheless be in line with the process for most traditional boxers upon beginning their professional journeys, which some would say only begins for Paul with the Rahman Jr. fight — and it may even encourage Paul to continue to fight dedicated boxers going forward.
Jake Paul vs. Hasim Rahman Jr. will air live on DAZN for fans in the United Kingdom and Ireland only. Click here for more information.
