Why Muhammad Ali might have had a very different opinion on Jake Paul to what you'd think

Muhammad Ali would have been incredibly supportive of Jake Paul's "circus" boxing fights, according to his grandson. The People's Champion will go down as one of the greatest to ever step in the ring as a result of his legendary career, in which he secured world heavyweight glory three times and best a who's who of talent at the time - including the likes of Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Leon Spinks.

However, the fight game has seen major changes in recent years - with a number of influencers lacing up the gloves to try their hand in the squared-circle. YouTube boxing can be traced back to August 2017, when friends Joe Weller and Theo Baker uploaded a video of them duking it out in the ring.

This led as the precursor for KSI's monumental showdown with Weller at London's Copperbox Arena the following year, which KSI won via a third-round technical knockout. In the years since, a new age of boxing fans have been introduced to the sport through social media stars like AnEsonGib, HSTikkyTokky, Elle Brooke and even the Island Boys getting involved.

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But nobody has done it bigger or better than Jake Paul. The 28-year-old made his boxing debut against Deji Olatunji back in 2018 as an amateur, where he achieved a fifth-round TKO, before turning professional two years later where he secured a first-round TKO over YouTuber AnEsonGib.

Fast forward to 2025 and Paul has racked up an impressive professional record of 11-1, with wins over the likes of Nate Diaz, Anderson Silva, Mike Perry, Tyron Woodley and Mike Tyson - albeit, the latter was 58 when the two went to-to-toe. His only loss came at the hands of Tommy Fury in February 2023 via split-decision.

And while many boxing purists have been left disgusted at how the sport has been somewhat turned on its head by such influencers, Biaggio Ali Walsh believes that his grandfather would have been entertained by the big-name celebrity contests. Speaking to Mirror Fighting about influencer boxing, Walsh - who fights under the Professional Fighters League banner in mixed martial arts - said: "In terms of the circus fights, that's what I like to call them is like…It's money orientated.

"It's not like it's not based on talent anymore, really. It's based on just the biggest name versus the biggest name, regardless of your skill level. But to make of that, I honestly don't think he would disapprove of it because the viewership in the eyes and people buying to watch the fight was the reason he even started trash talking and brought out his personality anyways.

"So in a way, I feel like he'd be supportive of it. You know, if you can fool millions of people to watch you fight, then you're doing something right, right? So I feel like he wouldn't disapprove of it. It would be entertaining for him to to see what's next, like who's the next big name versus the next big name.

"So I don't think he would disapprove of it. In fact, I think he would be entertained by it because that's something he did and he got that from Gorgeous George. I think he would like it, he would be supportive of it. I think so."

Meanwhile, giving his own opinion of Paul - who is also signed to the PFL to compete in MMA but is yet to announce his debut - Walsh added: "Jake, him and his brother [Logan Paul] both, you got to give credit where credit's due. They are genius marketers.

"They know how to do it, man. They know how to market themselves well. They know how to get eyes on them. And my grandfather was really good at that. The trash talking started with him. And the reason was so that people can come and pay tickets to come watch him fight.

"And with social media nowadays, there's so many different platforms where you can do it, and Jake Paul takes full advantage of that. And he's really, really good at it, him and his brother both. But as a fighter, I think it's good that he's fighting [Julio Cesar] Chavez Jr.

"Everybody wants to see Jake Paul fight a boxer, an actual boxer. And he did with Tommy Fury, but he ended up losing that fight. So I think him fighting Chavez is a good move. You're fighting an actual boxer now. So yeah, all the best to him, honestly."

It comes as Paul is set to go toe-to-toe with his toughest test yet on Saturday night, when he shares the stage with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. The son of former super-featherweight, lightweight and light-welterweight world champion, Julio Cesar Chavez, Chavez Jr heads into the fray with a respectable record of 54-6-1-1.

A former WBC middleweight champion in his own right with defences over Peter Manfredo Jr, Marco Antonio Rubio and Andy Lee, Chavez Jr heads into the fight at the age of 39 off the back of a unanimous decision win over Urijah Hall last July.

With more experience under his belt than Tyson in terms of fights and far fresher than Iron Mike when he fought Paul in November, it is thought that Chavez Jr will be a genuine challenger for The Problem Child when they meet at Anaheim's Honda Centre, and may just derail the hype train he is aboard at present.