Jake Paul sparked fury amongst boxing fans after climbing into the ring to confront Oleksandr Usyk immediately following the Ukrainian's fifth-round knockout victory over Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer, who had been sitting ringside and was repeatedly booed whenever he appeared on the big screen, entered the ring for a tense face-off with the newly crowned three-time undisputed heavyweight champion.
The confrontation occurred moments after Usyk's devastating stoppage of Dubois in front of over 90,000 fans, with the pair engaging in a tense and chilling stare down before eventually shaking hands.
Paul took to social media platform X, formerly Twitter, to propose an MMA bout with the heavyweight champion, writing: "Congrats to one of the greatest heavyweights of all time @usykaa on a huge win.
Reuters
|Boxing fans fumed at Jake Paul entering the ring to confront Oleksandr Usyk
"I respect you a lot. Now we do an MMA match for the world @MostVpromotions."
The American had earlier posted "First AJ then OU. Book it," suggesting he would face Anthony Joshua before targeting Usyk.
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Boxing fans responded with widespread derision, with one replying: "Delusional mate, absolutely delusional."
Another asked: "You been drinking?" whilst others insisted the fight would be "Never happening" and called Paul a "clown."
Boxing enthusiasts expressed outrage on social media, with one fan writing: "Letting him in the same ring as Usyk is an insult."
Another commented: "It should never be sanctioned, Usyk will murder the YouTuber!" whilst a third added: "Please don't disrespect us and Usyk like this."
Further criticism included: "This is absolutely ridiculous. Get Jake Paul out of there," and "Embarrassing shouldn't even be allowed in the same ring as Usyk."
Despite the backlash, Usyk himself appeared open to the challenge, stating: "Jake Paul came to the ring for a face-off. I'm ready to fight with Jake Paul in MMA rules. I'm ready but I need to rest."
Paul, who holds a 12-1 professional boxing record, defeated former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in June and Mike Tyson last November.
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Reuters
|Jake Paul was booed every time he was on camera at Wembley
The 28-year-old signed with the PFL two years ago but has yet to make his MMA debut, despite expressing interest in testing his skills in the cage.
His manager Nakisa Bidarian revealed Paul wants to fight for a boxing world title "as soon as possible" after being placed in the WBC's cruiserweight rankings.
Earlier in the week, Saudi adviser Turki Alalshikh announced Paul had "accepted" a fight with Anthony Joshua, with Paul confirming during a ringside interview that the bout "is happening."