Jake Paul batters foe, scores 1st-round TKO
Jake Paul scored a first-round TKO, battering Ryan Bourland before the referee called the fight at 2:37 Saturday night in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Paul, 27, improved to 9-1 (with sixknockouts) while stopping his opponent in the first round in a second consecutive fight.
Bourland, 35, fell to 17-3.
Paul, who predicted a secondround knockout in the cruiserweight fight, was coming off a first-round knockout against Andre August on Dec. 15.
Paul came out firing jabs before landing an assortment of blows – body shots, rights and uppercuts – before Bourland found himself kneeling on the canvas with the referee waving off the contest before the end of the round.
Paul landed 24 punches to just three for Bourland, according to the DAZN broadcast team.
After the fight, Paul called out Canelo Alvarez, the undisputed super middleweight world champion.
“I’m ready for the big leagues,” Paul said. “I’m getting sharp. This is my life now. Like I said, I’m on the road to world champion, and Canelo, stop ducking. I know you want it . ...
“I want Canelo. I want all the biggest names.”
Paul also called himself “the face of this sport.’’
“Truly,’’ he continued during an inring interview on the DAZN broadcast. “Who’s doing more for boxing than me? I keep proving myself time and time again. The most followed boxer. The most viral KO’s, period. And that’s just facts. Nobody can deny that.”
Paul, who has talked about the possibility of a mixed martial arts bout against the likes of Nate Diaz, said he’s open to a “money fight.’’
“’Cause those are fun,’’ Paul said. “But for now I’m staying on the path to fighting real fighters and increasing the level of opposition.’’