In the sixth round of their rematch on Saturday night at Amalie Arena, Paul, the popular YouTuber-turned-professional boxer, delivered a knockout blow to former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. Woodley was rendered unconscious upon impact, falling face-first to the mat, as Paul unleashed a powerful right hand. The preceding moments of the fight were uneventful and uninspiring.
“This is as authentic as it freaking gets, just like my right hand,” Paul stated.
Selected Recommendations
If the bout’s Saturday’s victory had included a spectacular stoppage, Paul would have earned an additional $500,000 if he had knocked out his opponent Woodley. Paul beat Woodley in their first fight, which took place in Paul’s hometown of Cleveland on August 29th, via a split decision. The bout was contracted for 192 pounds over eight rounds.
Paul remarked that he executed the decisive strike by carefully calculating the timing and landing it simultaneously with Woodley in the sixth round. Paul observed that Woodley was countering his right cross with his left hand at that moment.
“I secured the knockout, the impressive knockout,” stated Paul during the postfight press briefing. “I was preparing for that precise moment. I was aware that he was attempting to anticipate the direct punch with his right hand. I had to curve it like a hook.”
With a two-week notice, Woodley stepped in as a replacement for Tommy Fury, who is the half brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. Tommy Fury had to withdraw due to a broken rib and a chest infection.
“Due to Tommy Fury being a b-,” Paul stated in reference to Woodley, “I admire his decision to accept this fight with only a fortnight’s notice. This individual is truly remarkable.”
During the fourth round of the exchange, Woodley slammed him to the mat to clinch victory. Paul also mentioned that he pulled his arm in the first round. Throughout the rest of the fight, blood was trickling down his face and there was a fairly big gash on Paul’s forehead, right above his eye. In the third round, Paul suffered a cut from Woodley’s wayward elbow.
Woodley had been performing well until the sixth round. Paul started using his jab more successfully in the fifth round and landed a huge right hand in the fourth round. Woodley’s best round came in the third when he landed a big right hand, and Paul had solid shots in the first two rounds. Every time the two men came together, they seemed to end up clinching, and it was mostly marked by a lot of sloppy combinations. The bout was sloppy until the finish.
“I lowered my hands one time, and that’s all it took,” Woodley said in the postfight press briefing.
Paul’s recent performance has become noteworthy during the postfight press conference, as he directed his criticism towards Dana White, the president of the UFC, and the fighters associated with the organization. Paul specifically mentioned Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz, prominent UFC personalities, in his interview after the fight, expressing his disapproval of their decision to leave the arena after Woodley’s knockout. It is worth noting that Masvidal and Diaz were seated in the front row during the event.
Boxing Statistics
PunchesPaulWoodleyTotal connected4343Total attempted170184Percentage25%23%Jabs connected184Jabs attempted10967Percentage17%6%Power connected2539Power attempted61117Percentage41%33%- Courtesy of CompuBox.
“Dana, I assure you, I will also humiliate them. Kindly allow me to face [Conor] McGregor. Kindly allow me to face Masvidal. Kindly allow me to face Diaz. Kindly allow me to face [UFC welterweight champion] Kamaru Usman,” Paul declared, directing his remarks towards White. “I recently defeated a five-time UFC champion by knockout and brought shame upon your entire organization.”
Paul effectively landed more power punches, with a score of 39-25, compared to Woodley in their match. The total number of punches thrown by both fighters was equal at 43-43. Paul showcased his superior skill in landing body shots, outscoring Woodley with a score of 15-7.
Paul was leading the sixth round with a score of 49-46 against Lebron, Efrain, and Ross, according to the judges. In the previous round, Paul was ahead with a score of 48-47 against O’Connor and James, according to the judge’s decision. Paul emerged victorious in the last four rounds, except for the third round where Ross emerged as the winner. Woodley defeated O’Connor in the third round, while Paul emerged victorious in the fifth round.
Over the past 13 months, Paul (5-0) has achieved victories against Robinson, Askren, and Woodley (on two separate occasions). Initially gaining recognition as a social media influencer on Vine and subsequently on YouTube, he has now established himself as a professional boxer with impressive knockout wins over YouTuber AnEsonGib, NBA veteran Nate Robinson, and former MMA champion Ben Askren.
Paul made his professional boxing debut on January 24, 2020, and now he has ventured into the game of promotional activities, with his company Valuable Promotions promoting the distribution of Showtime through pay-per-view cards.
“It’s frightening to limit the possibilities of where this could go,” Paul stated. “The potential truly has no bounds here.
This is creating a significant milestone and it has reached remarkable heights in my two-year professional career, and I’m absolutely passionate about it – I’m driven and determined.
Following his fourth consecutive defeat to elite 170-pound opponents, the UFC decided to part ways with Woodley, aged 39, in March. Woodley had previously held the prestigious UFC welterweight championship from 2016 to 2019 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest welterweights in the history of MMA. It is worth mentioning that Woodley, who originates from Ferguson, Missouri, currently holds a professional record of 0-2.
“I’m not finished,” Woodley stated. “Please refrain from gazing at me with saddened eyes.”