Brent Brookhouse
@pridefightingchampionships.com
Combat sports writer at CBSSports.com (formerly Bloody Elbow, MMAjunkie, FloSlam and others)
Oh yeah? Well ... Our oldest kid's birthday is the 24th, wife's dad's is the 25th, my dad is the 26th.
December 24, 2025 at 1:31 AM
Oh yeah? Well ... Our oldest kid's birthday is the 24th, wife's dad's is the 25th, my dad is the 26th.
Funniest part was the security guys this dork always hides behind being like "what the fuck are you doing? We aren't getting in there"
December 21, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Funniest part was the security guys this dork always hides behind being like "what the fuck are you doing? We aren't getting in there"
Also, the Pauls have some natural athletic gifts. You can say that, it doesn't mean they don't suck. On a normal boxing career path, he's fighting way worse dudes than he did on this path. It's whatever.
December 21, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Also, the Pauls have some natural athletic gifts. You can say that, it doesn't mean they don't suck. On a normal boxing career path, he's fighting way worse dudes than he did on this path. It's whatever.
Also ...
a woman wearing a hoodie that says boxing club on it
ALT: a woman wearing a hoodie that says boxing club on it
media.tenor.com
December 21, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Also ...
I tried to sum up the whole experience yesterday. Like, setting aside that he does suck as a human and all, just the whole thing was so weird. bsky.app/profile/prid...
Can I do an honest thread about Jake Paul's boxing career? Like, we can all agree it's funny he got knocked out. But, I've found this whole thing really interesting for a few years now because of how no-win the thing has always been at its core.
December 21, 2025 at 6:19 PM
I tried to sum up the whole experience yesterday. Like, setting aside that he does suck as a human and all, just the whole thing was so weird. bsky.app/profile/prid...
If any Jake fight had an element of being "fixed," it was him clearly carrying Tyson to a decision.
December 21, 2025 at 6:14 PM
If any Jake fight had an element of being "fixed," it was him clearly carrying Tyson to a decision.
It also, like, doesn't track with how the fights played out. None of those fights are what a dive looks like. I remember people trying to claim Woodley "took a dive" in the rematch. You don't take a dive by getting your shit so completely rocked and going out cold. That's not how it's done.
December 21, 2025 at 6:10 PM
It also, like, doesn't track with how the fights played out. None of those fights are what a dive looks like. I remember people trying to claim Woodley "took a dive" in the rematch. You don't take a dive by getting your shit so completely rocked and going out cold. That's not how it's done.
Also, I've pointed this out several places, but fixing a fight requires an incentive for the loser. Joshua is a wealthy man with a great legacy who wants to continue fighting in meaningful bouts. What would the incentive have been to fix the fight?
December 20, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Also, I've pointed this out several places, but fixing a fight requires an incentive for the loser. Joshua is a wealthy man with a great legacy who wants to continue fighting in meaningful bouts. What would the incentive have been to fix the fight?
The worst thing for him to do was to add weight. He clearly had a bit more gas at cruiser (though not an impressive tank), and now he's bulked up and it's sapping him even more.
December 20, 2025 at 8:58 PM
The worst thing for him to do was to add weight. He clearly had a bit more gas at cruiser (though not an impressive tank), and now he's bulked up and it's sapping him even more.
His endurance is the one area he has NEVER improved meaningfully. Add that to how outclassed he was everywhere else and ... yeah
December 20, 2025 at 8:55 PM
His endurance is the one area he has NEVER improved meaningfully. Add that to how outclassed he was everywhere else and ... yeah
Honestly, I put so much of that on Askren. That man showed up incredibly out of shape. Askren's boxing skills were no worse than most guys legit boxers face in their third pro fights. Why would they do it in MMA? Askren agreed to a boxing match, Jake was doing boxing. Ben simply didn't care.
December 20, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Honestly, I put so much of that on Askren. That man showed up incredibly out of shape. Askren's boxing skills were no worse than most guys legit boxers face in their third pro fights. Why would they do it in MMA? Askren agreed to a boxing match, Jake was doing boxing. Ben simply didn't care.
One other thing I'll say about those fights with UFC guys, they had resources for training that no club fighter a normal boxer faces at that point has, also experience under the brightest lights. That counts for SOMETHING.
December 20, 2025 at 7:33 PM
One other thing I'll say about those fights with UFC guys, they had resources for training that no club fighter a normal boxer faces at that point has, also experience under the brightest lights. That counts for SOMETHING.
Yes, Paul constantly shot angles. Fighting guys who were smaller, guys who were less experienced, guys who were old as hell, negotiating glove size, ring size, etc. That sucks, sure. But it's also how negotiations go. Billy Joe Saunders refused a ring smaller than what Jake had last night vs Canelo
December 20, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Yes, Paul constantly shot angles. Fighting guys who were smaller, guys who were less experienced, guys who were old as hell, negotiating glove size, ring size, etc. That sucks, sure. But it's also how negotiations go. Billy Joe Saunders refused a ring smaller than what Jake had last night vs Canelo
The amount of times I tried to yell at people that there wasn't even real "one shot" potential in that fight because they were wearing giant pillow gloves...
December 20, 2025 at 7:26 PM
The amount of times I tried to yell at people that there wasn't even real "one shot" potential in that fight because they were wearing giant pillow gloves...
So, fuck it, we'll just try and find an angle to turn this Joshua fight into some sort of win. Negotiate a giant ring and try and run, land a few shots, find a moral victory. There was never a way for this to end in a true "win" for Paul, because he had to balance "name value" with development.
December 20, 2025 at 7:25 PM
So, fuck it, we'll just try and find an angle to turn this Joshua fight into some sort of win. Negotiate a giant ring and try and run, land a few shots, find a moral victory. There was never a way for this to end in a true "win" for Paul, because he had to balance "name value" with development.
And then you end up with "well, we go full circus because what the hell else is there?" And then you eventually have to take a big shot, and it has to be accepted by your business partners. The shot should have been against Badou Jack for a cruiserweight title, but Netflix wanted bigger names.
December 20, 2025 at 7:23 PM
And then you end up with "well, we go full circus because what the hell else is there?" And then you eventually have to take a big shot, and it has to be accepted by your business partners. The shot should have been against Badou Jack for a cruiserweight title, but Netflix wanted bigger names.
It then got shameless with the Tyson fight but it was because ... well, what can you do? The MMA well ran dry and his skills were far too good for anyone crossing over (sorry, it's true, Jake is not a bad boxer, he just isn't). But you can't fight "appropriate fights" because nobody gives a shit
December 20, 2025 at 7:22 PM
It then got shameless with the Tyson fight but it was because ... well, what can you do? The MMA well ran dry and his skills were far too good for anyone crossing over (sorry, it's true, Jake is not a bad boxer, he just isn't). But you can't fight "appropriate fights" because nobody gives a shit
He beats Nate Diaz clearly. Then he fights two club-level fighters any normal boxer would face without any criticism, starches both in the first round, and it became "When we said fight a real boxer, we didn't mean like THAT." So, back to the MMA well with Mike Perr,y because at least people cared.
December 20, 2025 at 7:20 PM
He beats Nate Diaz clearly. Then he fights two club-level fighters any normal boxer would face without any criticism, starches both in the first round, and it became "When we said fight a real boxer, we didn't mean like THAT." So, back to the MMA well with Mike Perr,y because at least people cared.
Hell, in his 14th fight, Crawford was fighting a guy who came in at 20-11. Paul's 14th pro fight was Joshua. Like, that was the trap Paul put himself in. He lost to Tommy Fury (I scored that fight for Paul, fwiw) and then I think he continued to make actual strides in his skills, but who to fight?
December 20, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Hell, in his 14th fight, Crawford was fighting a guy who came in at 20-11. Paul's 14th pro fight was Joshua. Like, that was the trap Paul put himself in. He lost to Tommy Fury (I scored that fight for Paul, fwiw) and then I think he continued to make actual strides in his skills, but who to fight?
I can't be convinced that Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley (twice) and Anderson Silva were worse fights #3-6 than Crawford's resume facing a guy who was 8-25-1 (retired 11-58-2), a debuting fighter, a guy who was 5-6 and a guy who was 9-10-1 (retired 16-28-1).
December 20, 2025 at 7:17 PM
I can't be convinced that Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley (twice) and Anderson Silva were worse fights #3-6 than Crawford's resume facing a guy who was 8-25-1 (retired 11-58-2), a debuting fighter, a guy who was 5-6 and a guy who was 9-10-1 (retired 16-28-1).
In reality, basically all of those fights with UFC guys were fine. People just absolutely refuse to accept the level of fighter guys early in their career actually fight. Terence Crawford just retired on top of the entire sport. Let's unpack that.
December 20, 2025 at 7:16 PM
In reality, basically all of those fights with UFC guys were fine. People just absolutely refuse to accept the level of fighter guys early in their career actually fight. Terence Crawford just retired on top of the entire sport. Let's unpack that.
Freak show stuff to start with, fighting an influencer and then Nate Robinson (who Jake nearly murdered to death). Then it became a weird thing with fighting ex-UFC guys while people would insist Paul "wasn't a real boxer" while insisting he "fight a real boxer.
December 20, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Freak show stuff to start with, fighting an influencer and then Nate Robinson (who Jake nearly murdered to death). Then it became a weird thing with fighting ex-UFC guys while people would insist Paul "wasn't a real boxer" while insisting he "fight a real boxer.