As Darren Till gets ready for his boxing match against Darren Stewart at Misfits Boxing 21, the former UFC title challenger is keeping an eye on potential future opponents, including Jake Paul, whose next fight is booked against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in June.
While it`s common knowledge that many fighters are interested in facing Paul because of the fame and financial rewards he offers, Till`s reason is slightly different. He was actually scheduled to fight Chavez himself in 2024 on the same Netflix card where Paul was set to face Mike Tyson. That event was delayed due to Tyson`s illness, and the fight between Till and Chavez never got rescheduled.
Now, with Paul taking on that challenge, the one-time UFC title contender admits he`s uncertain about who will win.
“Chavez should beat him, but I don`t know,” Till commented. “Jake just keeps winning, so is Jake actually that good? We all keep saying he`s not.”
“I can`t even really give an opinion,” he continued. “Chavez probably should win, but I don`t know. Jake`s going to win. There`s something happening behind the scenes that we`re not aware of.”
Across his 12 professional bouts, Paul has only faced four opponents with notable boxing experience, with most of his victories coming against MMA fighters like Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva, and Nate Diaz. His sole loss was a very close decision against Tommy Fury—another fighter Till was previously scheduled to meet until Fury cancelled the fight over concerns about potential MMA tactics in a boxing match.
Excluding the exhibition against a 58-year-old Tyson last November, Chavez represents the most experienced opponent Paul has faced. Regardless of the fight`s outcome, Till admits he`s becoming quite annoyed by the predictable criticism consistently directed at Paul regarding his fighting career.
“For starters, let`s all stop being foolish for a moment and drop the idea that Jake Paul isn`t a fighter or a boxer,” Till stated firmly. “He`s been boxing for years now, training constantly with a fully equipped team around him. Jake Paul is a fighter. He`s a boxer. He`s a fighter. Okay, yes, he might be lacking in some areas, maybe he doesn`t like getting hit, but he is undeniably a fighter. This narrative needs to go away.”
Till believes part of the reason this insult is frequently used against Paul is because potential opponents are desperately seeking his attention.
The easiest way to provoke Paul into a fight is to claim he isn`t a real fighter and would be an easy victory in the ring. Till knows better than to underestimate Paul, which is why he`s definitely interested in the fight himself, but he won`t resort to that tired approach to secure the matchup.
“Look, I get it, you fight Jake Paul, you make a lot of money,” Till acknowledged. “Everyone is just begging for this fight. I`ve said I`d love to fight Jake Paul, but I`m not begging him. Jake doesn`t want to fight me? Trust me, I`m good. Trust me, I`m alright.”
“I`d love to fight him, love to make some money, sure, that`s fine, but I don`t lose sleep over it like all these other guys are. I`m whatever. He`s winning, so what do you want?”
Despite the name recognition Till brings to his fights, he understands he would be the secondary attraction to Paul, and he is completely okay with that.
In fact, Till concedes almost every advantage to Paul when comparing their careers, except for when they would actually step into a ring together.
“If I`m fighting Jake Paul, I`m not going to sit there and have a comparison contest about who has more money,” Till said with a laugh. “Jake Paul has more money than me! I`m not going to say `I`m the `A` side.` Jake Paul is the `A` side. He wins in every department. The only department I know I win in is the fight itself. I`m alright with that. That`s perfectly fine.”
“If he wants to sit there and say whatever, with all these other guys, they bite. If Jake Paul sat there with me and said `I want to make a bet,` I`d say, `Jake, I`m going to stop you right there, my friend. I can`t make bets with you because I don`t have the money you have. So take your bet, take your money, and shove it.` I`m a realist. It`s like me sitting there with Conor McGregor and comparing who has more money. I`m not really bothered about who has more money. How about I just punch all your heads in?”
If Till is successful against Stewart on Friday`s Misfits boxing card, he might have a challenge ready, but don`t expect him to be desperate for Paul`s attention.
“Jake Paul is the `A` side,” Till concluded. “I would love to fight him. I would love that fight. If I don`t get that fight, then so what? To be honest with you, I`m not really that bothered.”
