‘Wilder v Paul next? You wouldn’t flinch’

Jake Paul and Deontay Wilder are two men separated by weight, experience and tradition, yet orbiting the same strange boxing universe.

‘The Problem Child’ Paul fights Julio Cesar Chavez Jr on Saturday in Arizona, while his fellow American Wilder returns against Tyrrell Herndon on Friday in Kansas.

And really, thank goodness they’re not fighting each other, because that’s exactly the kind of boxing world we live in now.

If someone called you tomorrow and said, “Wilder v Paul next,” you wouldn’t flinch.

Picture this: Wilder wipes out Herndon in a round in a vintage ‘Bronze Bomber’ display.

Just 24 hours later, Paul is behind on all cards and then stops Chavez Jr late on in a thriller.

By Sunday morning, the clips go viral, the messages start, and someone makes a call.

Wilder v Paul outdoors in America later this year? It’s not impossible. Stranger things have happened.

Wilder was dropped five times by Tyson Fury in their trilogy. He looked a shadow of himself against Joseph Parker. And against Zhilei Zhang, I was about four feet away and he honestly didn’t look like he knew where he was. His instincts were scrambled.

He’s lost four of his last five and yet we’re still not convinced he’s finished. Why? Because Wilder has a gift that defies logic.

He owns one of the most dangerous right hands in boxing history – a punch so destructive that it wipes out most sensible analysis. When you can end a fight in the blink of an eye, you get chances. You get forgiven. You get watched.

He faces the relatively unknown Herndon in Wichita – and no, I couldn’t point it out on a map either. Herndon was stopped in two rounds by Olympic silver medallist Richard Torrez Jr, a terrific heavyweight who’s flying under the radar.

If Wilder detonates early and finishes Herndon quicker than Torrez did, expect someone somewhere to shout: “He’s back!”

And then he’ll want the big names again. He’ll talk about a Parker or Zhang rematch, or maybe even that long-awaited super-fight with Anthony Joshua.

Of course, there’s also Dave Allen. The fact Wilder’s even being linked with Doncaster’s Allen – and no disrespect to Dave, who we all love – shows just how far Wilder’s stock has fallen.

I get asked about Paul all the time – “Buncey, what do you make of him?”

I tell them that Paul is one of boxing’s best-promoted and best-matched fighters. He’s the sport’s greatest modern self-publicist.

He’s had just 12 fights but operates with the publicity machine of a 30-year veteran. That’s the reality.

This next one – against Mexican Chavez – is another masterstroke. Win, and Paul can truthfully say he’s beaten a former world champion. Never mind that Chavez has been unmotivated and underwhelming for years.

This is elite matchmaking, the kind Mickey Duff or Frank Warren would have admired in the 1980s. Find a guy with a belt in the past, a name the public still knows and has just enough miles on the clock. Time it right, get the win, build the brand.

In fact, smart matchmaking has always been Paul’s strategy. Even the Mike Tyson fight was cold, calculated business. It may have counted to both their records but it was just a glorious payday for Tyson, who didn’t really let his hands go and nor did Paul either. There was a degree of benevolence in that ring.

Paul upsets the purists when he fights UFC guys and then starts calling out the likes of Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez or Joshua. His mouth is his crime, not his commitment to boxing. I’ve seen him in the gym – Paul trains like a world champion.

He’s raw, his footwork clunky, his technique mechanical, but his commitment is real. He trains like he’s going 15 rounds at Madison Square Garden.

As for Chavez, this could be redemption. If a motivated, fit Chavez – the kind we haven’t seen in years – shows up, he could give Paul a real fight.