Despite being offered a $500,000 bonus if he can knock Jake Paul out in their December 18 rematch, Tyron Woodley is after more.
Paul and Woodley met inside the squared circle earlier this year. In their August bout, the YouTuber-turned-boxer further legitimized his venture into the sport by adding Woodley’s name to his undefeated résumé. The former UFC welterweight champion joined former ONE and Bellator 170-pound titleholder Ben Askren as the second combat sports veteran to have failed to outbox Paul in 2021.
While many still slated Paul for not facing a professional boxer, it looked like “The Problem Child” was set to eliminate that argument this month in a match against the younger half-brother of heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury. However, Tommy, who boasts an unblemished 7-0 record in the ring, pulled out just weeks out, citing a broken rib and bacterial chest infection as the reasons behind his withdrawal.
With “TNT” out and the event potentially in jeopardy, Woodley has been granted the chance for redemption he’s called for ever since his split decision defeat to Paul. In a rematch billed as “Leave No Doubt,” the pair will collide in Florida next weekend.
Woodley Believes He Deserves More
In recent weeks, talk over a potential clause in the contracts of Paul’s opponents that prevents them from knocking the Cleveland native out has become more prominent. In an effort to shut those rumors down, Paul has offered Woodley a lucrative $500,000 bonus if he’s able to secure a knockout win on December 18. But hunting an even bigger bag, “The Chosen One” wants more.
In a recent interview with ESPN MMA’s Marc Raimondi, Woodley suggested he should be receiving a further half-a-million for stepping up on short notice to save the Showtime pay-per-view card.
“We need a new bonus. ‘Keeping the hope alive and the card alive’ bonus. We need to add that too. Might as well say half-a-bag since that’s what we’re throwing out there. Like Dana White said, ‘Fight of the Night, Knockout of the Night, Performance of the Night’ – same thing. So I think we should throw another 500,000 just because all these people would’ve wasted their time, their training camp, their coaches, all these incidentals to train. Tommy Fury would’ve caused all of them not to fight. The venue, the ticket sales, the refunds, the sponsors. So yeah, let’s get another 500,000.” (h/t Sportskeeda)
While it seems like optimistic, who can blame Woodley for shooting his shot for some more cash, especially given the kind of numbers that seem to be prevalent in YouTuber and celebrity boxing matches.
Either way, a knockout victory on December 18 would certainly see the former UFC champ leave the ring a whole lot richer. A loss, on the other hand, would add to the embarrassment of his original defeat to the internet personality.
The stakes are as high and bizarre as you’d expect from tis matchup, although we haven’t heard any tattoos mentioned yet…
Who do you think will have their hand raised on December 18, Tyron Woodley or Jake Paul?
