On Saturday, Dec. 18, Jake “The Problem Child” Paul, will take on former UFC Welterweight champion, Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley in a rematch of their August boxing pay-per-view. And unlike their last fight, this one is going to leave a mark.
Ahead of their previous fight, the two boxers agreed that the loser would get a tattoo reading “I love [the winner].” After Paul won via split decision, Woodley shared a photo of his new ink, tellingly placed on the inside of his middle digit. However, during his media appearance this week, Woodley (who agreed to a rematch after Paul’s original opponent, Tommy Fury, pulled out due to injury) claimed that the noticeably lighter ink, which many suspected was not a permanent tattoo, was, “almost gone.”
“I did it on purpose,” Woodley told Showtime about his fading tat. “I put it on the finger that means the opposite of love, I put it on that finger, but I knew it was going to wear down.”
Speaking of wearing down, Paul is undoubtedly hoping that he can use his considerable age advantage to wear down his opponent (at 24, Paul is 15 years younger than the 39-year-old Woodley). In fact, Paul is so confident that he can outlast Woodley, he’s offering a $500k “knockout bonus” if the former UFC star can put him down for the count.
It’s just the latest troll from Paul, a social media star who knows at least as much about self-promotion as he does about the sweet science. Thanks in large part to their notoriety, Jake Paul and his brother Logan have quickly emerged as top PPV draws since turning their focus to fight sports. Paul and Woodley’s first fight reportedly sold about 500k PPVs, while Logan Paul’s fight against boxing legend Floyd Mayweather had over 1 million buys.
The undercard features a similar mix of celebrity fighters and seasoned vets. First up, undefeated Aussie Liam Paro (21-0-0) will take on Yomar Alamo (20-0-1) in his North American debut. The next fight is an exhibition between former NBA All-Star Deron Williams and the NFL’s third-most prolific running back, Frank Gore. The last fight in the undercard sees Amanda Serrano (41-1-1) taking on Spain’s Miriam Gutierrez (13-1-0).
With novel bouts in the undercard and a main event between two fighters whose familiarity is clearly breeding contempt, Saturday’s Paul-Woodley PPV—which begins at 9pm ET—should be an entertaining finish to a great year for fight sports. Use the link below to order the fight on Sling TV for $59.99. Note: You must have an active Sling subscription to order the PPV. Use the link below to sign up for Orange + Blue for just $20 for your first month!
