Jake Paul eligible for world title shot after securing top 15 WBA world ranking

Jake Paul is on the periphery of world title opportunity after being granted a top 15 world ranking by the WBA following his victory over former middleweight king Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in California this past weekend.

The social media superstar turned professional boxer extended his record to 12-1 with a comprehensive points success over the Mexican, who looked a shadow of the fighter that held world honours a decade ago.

Paul was all but guaranteed a position within the top 15 of at least one of the four major boxing governing bodies with victory, and so it's proved with the WBA subsequently including him within their revised cruiserweight world rankings.

Esteemed boxing journalist Lance Pugmire revealed that the stakes had been raised somewhat for Paul ahead of his latest fight night, posting the following message on social media:

"Been told by WBA President Gilberto Mendoza that if @jakepaul wins tonight, he will be elevated into the @WBABoxing rankings, making him eligible for a shot at the champion @ZurdoRamirezz or Dorticos."

The news means the American is now eligible for a crack at unified 200lbs title-holder Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez who holds possession of both the WBA and WBO cruiserweight straps.

Ramirez featured on the undercard of Paul's clash with Chavez Jr in the early hours of Sunday morning, successfully defending his straps courtesy of a straightforward unanimous decision win over the disappointing Dorticos.

Paul, who is positioned at number 14 in the WBO's July rankings, would typically need to work his way up the ranks to guarantee a world title opportunity, but it's believed that his rapid trajectory, together with his celebrity status, means he will be fast-tracked into position to tackle the Mexican world champion.

Ramirez is, of course, no stranger to British fight fans having recently crushed Chris Billam-Smith's unification dream, dishing out a brutal beating of the hugely-popular Bournemouth star last year.

The experienced 200lbs campaigner has won 48 of his 49 professional bouts, with pound-for-pound superstar Dmitry Bivol the only fighter to have beaten the 34-year-old.

Paul fuelled the fire ahead of a potential showdown with 'Zurdo' at the weekend, facing off against the world champion in the immediate aftermath of his triumph over Chavez Jr, and then claiming he'd easily beat the experienced campaigner should the opportunity to do so arise.

"I want tougher fighters. I want to be world champion," Paul told the media at the post-fight press conference.

"Zurdo looked slow tonight, that'd be easy work too!"

It remains to be seen as to whether the fight will in fact now get made, with Paul believed to be juggling numerous potential opponents for November / December, including money spinning clashes with Gervonta 'Tank' Davies and Tommy Fury.

Fury remains the only man to have beaten Paul as a professional, with the pair recently speaking of their hopes of locking horns for a second time, whilst Paul has also name-dropped Anthony Joshua as a future opponent, announcing that plans are in place for a blockbuster 2026 affair against the Briton.

Mark Mothershaw

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