Julio César Chávez Jr. will look to put a stop to Jake Paul’s lucrative boxing journey when the pair clash June 28 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
“Yes [I’m motivated to end Paul’s career],” Chávez Jr. told Uncrowned’s “The Ariel Helwani Show” on Wednesday. “[I still think] that I’m better than Jake Paul, so I think after this fight maybe Jake continues to fight [and tries] to be a [better] boxer, but I don’t think he has [the] skills and everything [necessary to] win [against me]. I want to end Jake Paul’s career.”
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For Chávez, it’s an opportunity that has arrived at a time when he wants to resurrect himself in the sport.
The son of legendary Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Sr., the younger Chávez held the WBC middleweight title from 2011-12 and continued to compete at a high level until his 2019 loss to Daniel Jacobs.
Chávez incited a small-scale riot at the PHX Arena in Phoenix that night after Chávez, who had weighed in five pounds over the limit for the fight, quit on his stool after just five rounds. Chavez Sr. famously put his head in his hands after learning of his son’s decision.
Chávez’s weight miss and refusal to fight on when things got tough were clear signs his heart was no longer in the sport.
Regardless, he continued to compete at a lower level after the Jacobs fight, and now 20 months alcohol-free, Chavez hopes to make another run at the top of the sport — and a win over Paul could be the catalyst for his comeback.
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“I liked the idea [of fighting Paul] because I think the fight [has come at the right time],” Chávez said. “I [thought] about [taking the fight because] Jake is very popular, [and] I’m pretty sure that I’ll win this fight.
“I want to [make it] clear that I’m still here. I’m not old, and I take this sport seriously. [I] train hard [and I’m] disciplined. I’m 39, so I don’t think I’m old. I still feel good in the gym … I’m still a good fighter. So I want to fight better opposition after this fight, and that’s why I take this fight.
“Now I’m disciplined, I’m focused, I want to finish the fight [with Paul with a] win and take this opportunity to be back in real boxing. That’s my goal.”
In recent days, Paul has claimed his team has begun talks to face unified WBA/WBO cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez and WBC cruiserweight titleist Badou Jack in 2026. Chávez hopes a win over Paul will be enough to replace him in the conversation to take on some of the best fighters boxing has to offer.
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“What I want [to do is to fight] the best,” Chávez said. “I’d love to fight “Zurdo” Ramirez. I’d love to fight [another] cruiserweight champion — [Jai] Opetaia is a very strong guy. … I want that [fight]. You know why? I’m here because I want to fight the best.”
“If Opetaia offers me [a fight with him], if Ramirez offers me [a fight] after [the Paul] fight, or after [the Paul] fight and another fight, I’m there. I’m ready to fight [undisputed light heavyweight champion Dmitry] Bivol at cruiserweight [or Artur Beterbiev].”
Chávez and Paul share one common opponent: Former UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva. Paul won a unanimous decision over Silva in October 2022, while Chávez lost a split decision to Silva the year before in Mexico.
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Contrasting results in their respective bouts with Silva is perhaps what gives Paul the confidence to believe he can defeat another former world boxing champion. Chávez, however, insists that he was not at his best against Silva and that Paul shouldn’t put too much into that fight.
“[I was in a] very bad situation at that time,” Chávez said of the Anderson fight. “But in boxing, there’s no excuses. What happened, happened. Of course, I feel bad about this situation — to lose to a UFC fighter for years because I’m not in shape. When I’m not in shape, I don’t feel happy with myself, [or] with my performance — no matter what happens, if I win or lose.
“These things, like the fight with Silva and a couple of other fights, make the UFC fighters [and] other people [think] that [Paul] can beat real boxers. I don’t think that’s possible. When you’re a real boxer [and] you train right, it’s different.”
Despite Paul holding a win over a fighter that Chávez couldn’t beat, Chávez isn’t impressed with Paul’s boxing ability.
“I respect all fighters in general, but I don’t have [anything] significant to respect [about] Jake [to say he is a] good fighter. He’s a real fighter — he’s a fighter now. He has 11 fights. But that’s it, he’s nothing special. He’s strong, that’s it.”
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