Foolish Mairis Briedis looking desperate as he obsesses over YouTuber Jake Paul
- Lewis Oldham
- 24 January 2022
A world cruiserweight champion is chasing a fight with a YouTuber. 2022 is already weird as Mairis Briedis is becoming a laughing stock.
YouTube boxing has been a major trend in the sport over the past few years.
KSI and Logan Paul were at the forefront of that scene between 2018 and 2019 as they fought twice.
Their first was an amateur bout but their second was a grander affair. In a professional fight, the rivals met at the Staples Center as part of an event promoted by Eddie Hearn/Matchroom Boxing.
Logan wangled himself in an exhibition bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr last year (it was a strange time). But it is his brother, Jake Paul, who has broken out of the social media sphere and into the mainstream.
After picking up wins over fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib and ex-NBA star Nate Robinson, Paul set his sights on the UFC in 2021.
In April, he faced off against Ben Askren in what was his first bout against someone with a combat background.
Paul made light work of Askren, knocking him out inside the opening round. He is now on the back of consecutive wins over former UFC world champion Tyron Woodley.
The first victory came via split decision. Their second meeting ended in a more conclusive manner…
The YouTuber has made a lot of enemies in the process. Most of them are in the UFC and he has taken particular enjoyment in winding up Dana White.
While you may find Paul insufferable, he has raised legitimate concerns during his dispute with White - calling him out for the inadequate health care and pay for fighters in the UFC.
It is mightily impressive that a social media star has lived rent-free in the head of UFC's chief over the past year.
While his focus has largely been on toying with UFC fighters, Paul was set to fight his first experienced boxer in December.
He was due to step into the ring with Tyson Fury's brother and Love Island star, Tommy Fury. This was seen as Paul's toughest test to date.
It was a genuinely intriguing match-up so it is frustrating that Fury pulled out with an injury. Paul still had his fun though as he continued to mock Tommy...
Jake Paul’s UK themed entrance gear was a dig at Tommy Fury 🇬🇧 #PaulWoodley pic.twitter.com/3M4dvUXTsv
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) December 19, 2021
It is currently unclear what is next for Paul in 2022. Fights against Mike Tyson and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr have been mentioned.
A somewhat surprising name has emerged as a candidate to fight Paul next, though. That is IBF and The Ring world cruiserweight champion Briedis.
The Latvian is rightly recognised as one of the best cruiserweights of his era. He won multiple national championships as an amateur and he is a three-time world champion as a professional.
Briedis has only lost once since turning pro. That defeat came via majority decision against current world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Given his background and reputation, it might be a shock to some that he has spent the last couple of weeks calling out the YouTuber.
He has even been and got a Paul themed tattoo…
As to be expected, Briedis' baffling actions have been mocked by his peers. As seen through his 'bad karma' ink, his intentions appear to be evident.
'The Latvian Punisher' wants to wipe Paul out to end his boxing influence. It is fair to assume an endless number of boxers would also love to do that, but the champion's attempts to get this fight are laughable.
His Instagram is littered with posts about Paul and he is looking desperate. The fact that an esteemed world champion is chasing a fight with Paul is embarrassing not just for him, but for the sport as well.
Paul gets a lot of hate - rightly so sometimes - but he does not get enough credit for how smart he is.
He has done an amazing job raising the profile of Amanda Serrano - who appears set to finally face Katie Taylor in a mega-fight at Madison Square Garden in April.
But he also has mapped out his boxing career to perfection. He knows he has a little bit of talent but is nowhere near good enough to trouble anyone like Briedis.
Paul is never going to fight Briedis. Yet the YouTuber is winning just by having the world champion say his name.
You could view these exchanges as Briedis taking one for the team to rid boxing of Paul. Though it is more likely him plotting a cash grab.
The 37-year-old knows how much a fight with Paul would earn him, it is just a sad state of affairs that one of boxing's finest is stooping this low.
He should be looking to secure his legacy by beating fellow world champions Lawrence Okolie, Ilunga Makabu and Arsen Goulamirian.
Instead, Briedis is becoming a laughing stock as he chases a payday against boxing's belle of the ball.
Paul does not even need to respond. The world champion is fixating over the YouTuber, not the other way around. So Briedis has already lost…
