INVESTIGATIVE REPORT: TRACKING THE "JAKE PAUL CURSE" FROM NATE ROBINSON TO ANTHONY JOSHUA
Eight of Jake Paul’s 13 opponents have faced bizarre misfortune. From Ben Askren’s lung failure to Tyron Woodley’s bankruptcy.
Of the 13 people Jake Paul has fought, it's strange that eight seem to have had bad luck after their fight.
Here’s the rundown: three faced near-death experiences, some disappeared from the public eye, one had his personal life crumble, one declared bankruptcy, and another was deported.
Nate Robinson
The former NBA champ played for the Miami Heat in 2013. He was Paul's second pro opponent in November 2020 but didn't last long, getting knocked out in the second round.
Ben Askren
People had high hopes for Askren before his April 2021 fight with Paul because he was a former UFC fighter. But he was stopped in the first round. It was Paul's third pro fight, which made it even worse.
If the loss wasn't bad enough, Askren had lung failure four years later, almost dying, needing a transplant to survive.
Tyron Woodley
The former UFC welterweight champion fought Paul twice and lost both times, the second time by knockout. It's said that Woodley declared bankruptcy after those losses, which might explain why he boxed again against Anderson Silva on the Paul vs. Joshua card, which he also lost. His pro boxing record is 0-3.
Tommy Fury
His relationship with Molly-Mae Hague took a break in 2024. They're back together, but Molly-Mae is hesitant to get married.
Ryan Bourland
Bourland was 17-2 when he fought Paul in March 2024, so some thought he'd be hard to beat. But like Askren, Bourland didn't make it out of the first round. He quit boxing after losing to Paul and now works as a plumber.
Mike Tyson
Paul's fight with Mike Tyson was already strange, given Tyson is 58. It got stranger when news broke that Tyson had been in the hospital for weeks before the fight because of a bleeding ulcer, needing eight blood transfusions.
Maybe it was his age that caused the issue. Maybe it explained Tyson's weak showing in his loss in November 2024.
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
The former middleweight world champion and son of the famous Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. put on a weak performance in his loss to Paul in June 2025, hurting his father's reputation.
Anthony Joshua
Anthony Joshua gave Paul his second pro loss, but Paul made him work for it in a bigger ring than normal. He lasted six rounds before Joshua broke his jaw with a right hand.
If Jake Paul keeps fighting, his opponents should be ready and hope they don't also experience weird misfortune.
TYSON FURY BLASTS ANTHONY JOSHUA AFTER DANIEL DUBOIS STOPS FABIO WARDLEY IN MANCHESTER
Tyson Fury has labelled Anthony Joshua "chinny" after Daniel Dubois secured the WBO heavyweight title against a resilient Fabio Wardley.
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Tyson Fury wasted no time after Daniel Dubois stopped Fabio Wardley this past weekend, using the moment to take a shot at Anthony Joshua.
Dubois picked up his second heavyweight title Saturday night in Manchester, grabbing the WBO belt from Wardley in a wild, bloodied battle that’s already being called a fight of the year candidate.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Dubois, though. He hit the canvas twice in the first three rounds but bounced back hard, battering Wardley late and leaving his face a mess as the final bell sounded.
Wardley never actually went down during the fight, despite looking wobbly near the end. Credit to him for sheer toughness, but Dubois still beat him decisively. This was Dubois’ first victory since his massive upset over Anthony Joshua earlier in 2024, when he floored AJ four times in one night.
On Sunday, Fury chimed in about Dubois’ latest win. With his own fight against Joshua rumoured for later this year on Netflix, Fury saw an opening to stir the pot.
“Just been thinking about Dubois’ crazy fight last night,” Fury said. Dubois fought [Jarrell] Miller, stopped him, but never put him down. He fought. [Filip] Hrgovic stopped him but never put him down. Fought Wardley last night and stopped him, but didn’t put him down. He hit Usyk with bombs but didn’t drop him. But against Anthony Joshua? Drops him five times.”
Fury added, “I’m not saying Joshua’s got no chin, but facts are facts. Take it however you want. Nobody else went down, not Miller, not Hrgovic, not Usyk, not Wardley. But Joshua hits the deck five times? Chinny, get up, slink!”
Fury is coming off a comeback win over Arslanbek Makhmudov and has already signed on to fight Joshua this year. Joshua will warm up first against Albanian heavyweight Kristian Pregna in Saudi Arabia on July 25 before facing Fury.
Promoter Frank Warren says Fury vs. AJ will probably land in October, though Fury might want another tune-up, which could push things back a bit.
As for Dubois, he’s got options. There’s talk of a rematch with Wardley, a chance to settle the score with Usyk in a trilogy, or a domestic showdown with Moses Itauma. Dubois’ dad, Stan, told talkSPORT he’d rather see his son fight another British heavyweight next, not Usyk.
HOW DANIEL DUBOIS SURVIVED TWO KNOCKDOWNS TO STOP A BLOODY FABIO WARDLEY
"I had to dig deep." Read Daniel Dubois' full reaction to his stunning comeback victory against Fabio Wardley in Manchester.
The punch that changed everything wasn't thrown by either of the fighters.
Fabio Wardley came out blazing in his title defence, dropping Daniel Dubois just 10 seconds in. He did it again in the third round, making it look like his big night. But then, something strange happened. As Dubois got up after the fourth round, his trainer, Don Charles, slapped him hard on both cheeks.
That’s when Dubois woke up. “I had to make him realise what he needed to do,” Charles said afterwards. It’s not exactly the kind of thing you see at team-building seminars, but it worked. Dubois turned on, and suddenly Wardley’s reign started to unravel.
Wardley had picked Dubois for the first fight since collecting the WBO belt that Oleksandr Usyk dropped. Honestly, it looked like a smart pick: he dropped Dubois twice and set the tone. But after that slap, Dubois started seeing Wardley’s moves coming; those wild lunges became easier to dodge.
He landed his stiff jab and followed up with savage right hands. Wardley’s jaw somehow took the hits, but his nose was pouring blood, and his right eye was almost swollen shut. He kept pushing forward, showing crazy heart, while Dubois just kept piling on. The fight turned into a brutal spectacle, the kind you can’t look away from.
Wardley got checked twice by doctors but kept fighting. Honestly, it could've stopped before the second-to-last round, when referee Howard Foster finally stepped in. Dubois got his second world title; Wardley, battered and worn, just managed a thumbs up to his mum.
Dubois summed it up later: “I had to dig really deep. When you’re a warrior, you go to dark places. I was nervous at first, all over the place, and had to fight my own battles. That slap woke me up. My dad and everyone were in my corner; I couldn’t let them down.
“Fabio came to fight; he was tough. We were exhausted; it was a real war. I had to use all my skills to win. Great fight, great battle, and I’m No. 1 again.” Sure, Usyk might argue about that, but Dubois proved something; he got up off the canvas and won.
People have called Dubois a quitter since the Joe Joyce fight six years ago. Wardley himself thought Dubois would fold again in Manchester, and for three rounds it looked like he was right until reality snapped Dubois awake.
