Jake Paul has fallen out of the World Boxing Association (WBA) cruiserweight rankings due to the Knockout defeat he suffered against Anthony Joshua in the heavyweight category match a month ago.
Back in July, Paul was given the No. 14 rank by WBA, which, after beating the former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., a decision that caused discussions among the boxing-related individuals, and transferred the YouTuber-turned-boxer to the borderline of the cruiserweight division for the title. On that day, the ranking placed him in a position where he could claim the WBA belt from Mexico’s Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez.
Jake did not want the WBA title; rather, he was looking for the big-name fight with Joshua in Miami on 19 December. However, the bet was not in his favor, and the 28-year-old fighter was simply outperformed and stopped in the sixth round, after being put down twice in the fifth. Not only was Paul the victor in the fight, but he also sustained a broken jaw that necessitated surgery with titanium plates and dental work, etc.
In the WBA’s latest ranking update, Paul dropped out of the top 15 entirely, with the No. 15 occupied by Bosnia’s Edin Puhalo, who celebrated his 27th career victory in December, while Aussie Liam Callanan got upgraded to No. 14.
Paul is now at a professional record of 12 wins and 2 losses. The general viewpoint was that his removal from the ranking list would happen; however, it clears the path for his not-so-long stay among cruiser-weight contenders, at least temporarily, during which he will heal and think about his next move in boxing.
