Jake Paul has made a successful start to his boxing career and we take a look at his chances of continuing to make hay as a pugilist.

Debut bout

Paul got his professional boxing journey off to a winning start against AnEsonGib in 2020. The Problem Child made the switch from social media to the red corner and he enjoyed a clear size advantage in that Florida bout.

Paul's physical advantages had the 26-year-old on the canvas three times in the opening round, but AnEsonGib is better known from his performances on the computer game FIFA than his jabs and hooks, and clearly more was going to be required if Paul was to make it as a credible professional boxer.

Robinson slam-dunked

Next up for Paul was the challenge of basketball player Nate Robinson. The Ohio man certainly showed improved boxing skills in this fight, but it was pretty much a no contest in terms of opposition.

The Robinson was floored late in the first round and then twice in the second. The fight was then stopped by the referee and the 26-year-old recorded another victory.

Mixed-martial arts challenges

Paul moved on to fight MMA star Ben Askren in April 2021 and it was billed as a serious test for the YouTube star.

However, the former ONE and Bellator welterweight champion put up little resistance to the Problem Child and he was floored within two minutes of the first round.

It was difficult to gauge if there was any improvement in terms of boxing ability in that fight, as it was over in less than two minutes, but Paul did look well-conditioned.

Then came a pair of bouts against former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. The Missouri man certainly looked in excellent shape, but Paul again had the physical advantages.

The Ohio man was taken eight rounds by Woodley, but he was eventually awarded a split-decision victory.

The Problem Child landed 36 of 122 jabs thrown in that contest and 35 power shots and there was a fair bit of boxing skill on show, in what was the first real indication that Paul may be able to forge a successful career in boxing.

Given the first bout was a closely-fought affair, a rematch was inevitable. However, there was no doubt about the winner of the second contest.

Paul landed a huge shot on the Missouri man to knock him out in the sixth round and leave the outcome in no doubt.

That was a fair performance and alongside the excellent conditioning it certainly supported the idea that Paul could continue to make waves in the boxing world.

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Confidence not in short supply

Paul will take on UFC legend Anderson Silva in his next bout and, as always, the American is in a confident mood.

"Knockout of the year incoming," Paul said in a video shared by Showtime. “I've seen this a bunch of times and every time I see it, I just find more openings. He loves to get in that corner and dance.

“It's my ring, it's my fight, I'm the A-Side for a reason - he's not going to come in there and do that, I'm not going to feed into it.”

However, Paul's confidence isn’t quite reflected in the fight prices. The Problem Child is 4/7 to win the fight, with Silva rated a 29/20 chance and the draw available at 11/1.

The contest will take place at a 185lbs catchweight and it’s 11/4 that Paul stops the Spider., while the Brazilian-born UFC star is 12/5 to win by knockout and 11/2 to get the decision of the judges.

More still to come from Paul

It's early in Paul's career, but he is young enough to learn the sweet science. For all that the Problem Child seeks the limelight and can often make some fanciful claims, his dedication and commitment to boxing seems genuine.

He has been in excellent condition for his previous five fights and has enlisted former world-title challenger BJ Flores as his trainer.

That has, and will be enough, to carry him a fair way against the level of opposition he has been mixing it with.

Silva represents a stiff challenge, but Paul is likely to show that he has the ability to pass the test.

Given what the Spider achieved in the Octagon, and his win in the boxing ring against Julio Cesar Chavez, a victory for Paul would force you to sit up and take note of his boxing career.