Jake Paul lists Sonny Bill Williams as potential future opponent

Tom Naghten

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Jake Paul lists Sonny Bill Williams as potential future opponent image

Jake Paul has mentioned Sonny Bill Williams as a potential future opponent in the boxing ring, while also floating the possibility of fighting Down Under.

The YouTuber-turned-boxer has made waves in the sport in recent times, recording highlight-reel knockouts of former MMA fighters Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley to see his popularity skyrocket.

A fight with Paul is seen by many in the game as a way to cash in on the 25-year-old's new-found sporting fame.

Scores of boxers, MMA fighters and even non-combat sport athletes have called out "The Problem Child" throughout his stunning rise, all looking for a piece of the pie and the chance to knock him off his perch.

Appearing on The Fight with Teddy Atlas podcast, Paul was asked some of the names on his list of potential opponents and, somewhat surprisingly, it featured the two-time Rugby World Cup champ and two-time NRL premiership winner.

"Sonny Williams out of Australia," Paul said, among other options.

Now, he may have got the name and his nationality slightly off, but it certainly got the 36-year-old Kiwi's attention as he declared his willingness to take on the bout.

Williams' own boxing stocks rose sharply last month when he knocked Barry Hall out inside two minutes in Sydney.

The former New Zealand heavyweight champion has said he wants to dedicate himself to boxing for two years, having previously juggled it with his decorated rugby league and union careers.

Williams has been training under Irishman Andy Lee, alongside the likes of Tyson Fury and Joseph Parker - perhaps how he found himself on Paul's radar.

The most obvious sticking point between the pair would be weight - Paul has so far fought at cruiserweight (200lb; 90.72kg limit) throughout his five professional bouts while Williams weighed in at 109kg (240.5lbs) for his fight with Hall.

SBW isn't the only well-known figure on Paul's list, which included Floyd Mayweather, Oscar De La Hoya, Anderson Silva, Michael Bisping and Tommy Fury.

"There's a lot of people on the hitlist and some other names that we're talking to off the record," Paul said.

"I just want to see who makes the most sense. Everyone I've fought, I've carried the promotion, no one's matched my star power, so that's really what we're trying to lock down."

Paul then added that Australia was on the list of potential venues for his next fight which he hopes will be in August.

"I might fight in Australia, maybe the States, maybe the UAE, we're exploring a bunch of really cool options," he said.

 

Tom Naghten

Tom Naghten Photo

Tom Naghten is a senior editor at The Sporting News Australia where he's been part of the team since 2017. He predominantly covers boxing and MMA. In his spare time, he likes to watch Robbie Ahmat's goal against the Kangaroos at the SCG in 2000.