Jake Paul named Breakout Boxer of the Year by Sports Illustrated

Following in his older brother’s footsteps, Jake Paul’s boxing career has taken off over the past few years. After a spectacular year in the ring, Sports Illustrated has awarded Paul the prestigious title of 2021 Breakout Boxer of the Year.

Whether it be YouTube or boxing, Jake Paul’s career has been shrouded in controversy. From causing neighborhood disturbances in the Team 10 House to challenging everyone on Twitter to a boxing match, Paul certainly knows how to cause a stir on the internet.

Regardless, one of Paul’s greatest strengths is being able to captivate an audience no matter what he’s doing. “Any publicity is good publicity” applies to both of the Paul brothers, and they continue to thrive even after facing severe backlash from the internet.

The most recent drama surrounding Paul is his ongoing feud with Dana White. While many people theorize that Jake Paul’s boxing matches are rigged, Sports Illustrated has deemed Paul a great success.

Jake Paul named Breakout Boxer 2021

Sports Illustrated writes that, after only five fights into his professional career, Jake Paul has “elevated” the sport of boxing. The piece naming Paul Breakout Boxer of the Year recounted his fights against Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley… all three ending via knockout.

• Read More: Jake Paul explains why KSI’s victory over Logan Paul was “rigged”

SI also references the negative comments Paul has received from professional boxing legends. However, SI isn’t awarding Paul because of who he’s knocked out, but because of how polarizing he is.

In 2021, Jake Paul has managed to sell out arenas and generate astronomical pay-per-view sales. While he isn’t boxing in Vegas arenas or putting up numbers that championships are, he’s doing more than most newby boxers could hope to accomplish.

The boxing community doesn’t love Paul, and SI claims he won’t win over many people, either. But his already massive following is growing, and opponents are lining up to get a piece of fame Jake Paul can offer. Paul’s trainer B.J. Flores stated, “Everyone around him gets lifted up.” Even those fighting on the undercard during a Paul event see a boost in their Q-rating, which proves Flores’ point.

Jake’s response to wining BBotY

Jake Paul later responded to receiving the title via a screenshot of text on Twitter with the caption “Some reflection after winning “Breakout Boxer of The Year”. In the tweet, Paul expresses how overwhelmed and grateful he is to be given the title.

He recounts how, in less than two years, he went from YouTuber to professional boxer. During this time, he’s set lofty goals for himself that push both himself and boxing as a whole to innovate and improve. His full statement can be found below.

In an interview with SI, Paul stated, “I feel like I just finished my rookie season.” It’s safe to say Jake Paul won’t be leaving the boxing scene anytime soon. And with the amount of publicity and money Paul saw in 2021, it wouldn’t make sense for him to quit.

Love him or hate him, Paul is Sports Illustrated’s 2021 Breakout Boxer of the Year. For more Paul content, check out how Dream ratioed Jake on Twitter amid UFC drama.