Jake Paul 'didn't respect Mike Tyson' and built boxing resume with easy wins, says Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Saturday's Jake Paul-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. boxing match in Anaheim, California isn't a title fight, or even a prelude to a title fight, but that doesn't render it meaningless. 

Amid the sport's lingering fascination with 'crossover' or 'influencer' fighters – those whose celebrity originated outside the ring – Chavez has a chance to expose Paul in a way many assumed Mike Tyson would last November.   

Of course, Paul breezed by the former heavyweight champion, who looked every bit his 58 years of age during the eight-round snoozer. Worst of all, the fight failed to legitimize Paul and instead served to delegitimize influencer boxing in the eyes of casual fans. 

Enter Chavez, who previously said he'd retire if he ever lost to Paul, and now criticizes his upcoming opponent for taking the Tyson fight in the first place.  

'[Paul] entered boxing and he's very popular, so he takes the right opposition,' Chavez told Daily Mail ahead of Saturday's DAZN live stream. 'So he picked Tyson [to make] himself, like, more popular. I don't like this... because Mike Tyson is a legend and he's a senior now, he's not active. So [Paul] didn't respect Tyson.'    

Chavez can't match Tyson's credentials in the ring, but at 'only' 39, the former WBC middleweight title holder is a warm body and not yet eligible for AARP membership.

The son and namesake of one of Mexico's greatest champions, Chavez has been fighting pro since 2003, when Paul was just entering in primary school. And unlike the former YouTube and Disney star, Chavez hasn't been forced to carry around the disparaging label of 'crossover fighter.'

These days, Chavez is less dismissive of Paul, who has worked himself into a capable boxer since entering the sport with knockout wins over YouTuber AnEsonGib and former New York Knicks guard Nate Robinson. 

'He's a boxer, you know, so that's the only word I can say about Jake's career,' Chavez said. 'So that's it, you know, I want to see him with me. He knows how to fight, but I want to see him in different situations.'

Chavez's use of 'different situations' is a bit cryptic, but he appears to be saying Paul has avoided any real danger in the ring, which may be true. 

Even in Paul's lone defeat, a split-decision loss to Tommy Fury in 2023, the Problem Child wasn't dropped. 

In fact, Paul claims he's never even been knocked down in sparring.  

Naturally, Chavez sees himself as the fighter to end that streak. 

He captured the WBC middleweight title and improved to 46-0-1 with a TKO win over Ireland's Andy Lee in 2012. And while that proved to be the peak of his career, Chavez has since fought and lost to highly rated pros like Sergio Martinez, Andrzej Fonfara, Canelo Alvarez and Daniel Jacobs.

These days, Chavez appears to be wrapping up a once-promising career. He's fought only once in the last four years, beating converted kickboxer Uriah Hall by unanimous decision last July. Prior to that, he dropped a 2021 split decision to UFC legend Anderson Silva, who actually lost a boxing match to Paul the following year.

It was around this time that his career looked about finished.  

Both Chavez Jr. and his boxing brother Omar were told by their father to 'retire' due to poor training and conditioning. 

'I prefer that they retire if they are not going to prepare correctly,' Chavez Sr. told reporters. 'They do not prepare in the best way possible to fight.'

Chavez Sr. had been closely involved with his sons' training earlier in their careers, but there has been public friction between himself and Chavez Jr. in the last few years.

The younger Chavez accused his father of domestic violence, while the elder Chavez offered some cryptic comments about his sons.

'Unfortunately, even though they saw all my stumbles and they saw all my drug addiction, it seems that they followed my behavior and for me, it has been extremely complicated and difficult because I know what it's like to be locked up.'

Now, though, Chavez Jr. said he and his famous father have a good relationship, although the Hall of Famer hasn't been involved in his son's training for Paul.

'When you say you have a good relationship, it's because you have problems before,' Chavez Jr. told Daily Mail. 'So yeah, we have great relationship. Still have some disagreements, but I'm OK.'

Chavez’s father isn’t the only boxing figure to criticize his dedication to training.

Speaking with Bloody Elbow ahead of Saturday’s fight, long-time boxing commentator Max Kellerman acknowledged: 'Jake is a larger guy naturally and, like I said, he is a dedicated fighter. Chavez has not been.'

But in speaking to Daily Mail, Chavez insisted he’s had a good training camp and dismissed any notions of ring rust, saying he’s stayed active in the gym despite his relative inactivity.

‘Depends how you stay in the gym,’ Chavez said of avoiding ring rust. ‘You're still sparring, you stay in the gym, focused, ready, I don't think that's [too] bad. But if you don't train, you know, stay out the boxing and try to come back two months be back, of course it's not good. The best is to stay active and train.’

Chavez has dealt with his share of issues away from boxing. Like his father before him, he’s battled substance issues. What’s more, he’s been arrested on drunk-driving charges and for allegedly possessing a ghost gun. He would later plead not guilty in the firearm case and agreed to enter residential treatment program.

But for all of those distractions in his recent past, Chavez insists his life now revolves around the gym.

‘Train hard, rest, eat, focus,’ he said. ‘I trained for five months, rested a month, then started running, training, and now I already have three months of sparring.’

He may not be putting the finishing touches on a Hall-of-Fame career, but Chavez has the chance to make a statement against Paul. And if that ultimately derails influencer boxing, then it would stand as the most impactful victory of Chavez's under-appreciated career.