Jake Paul vs. Darren Till probably isn’t happening anytime soon.
That’s not because of “The Problem Child’s” surprise match up versus Gervonta Davis, a shocking spectacle that will surely break some Netflix numbers in November. In that bout, Paul will break from his usual mold of beating up much older fighters to return to his back up game plan: much smaller opposition. Win or lose, nobody will be able to say Paul hasn’t fought a genuine world champion anymore, which is … something … if you’re willing to look past all the other circumstances.
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So, why not Darren Till? “The Gorilla” left the UFC young primarily due to knee injuries rather than a severe losing streak. He didn’t age out like Tyron Woodley or Anderson Silva. When he left the promotion, there was immediate chatter about Till serving as a possible Paul opponent, which is the “red panty night” of the influencer boxing scene.
At first glance, Till makes sense as a potential opponent. He’s the right size and fits the mold of an ex-UFC fighter crossing into the ring. He has an online presence. In fact, Till was at one point being pushed rather heavily by the UFC in hopes of creating another English star/champion. He’s still benefitting from that promotion and is a bigger name than most active MMA fighters and plenty of former champions.
Charismatic, skilled, available — Till should be a great dance partner. Unfortunately, his one-sided pummeling of Luke Rockhold last night was too dominant, too vicious, too clear evidence that Jake Paul doesn’t want any part of that match up. Paul left the former UFC champion crumpled in a heap as instant meme material. Paul’s career may have survived an uninteresting split-decision loss to Tommy Fury, but it’s a whole different animal to overcome that kind of visual. More to the point, Paul likes to throw down versus smaller, older, opponents who are ill-suited for the boxing ring, and Till doesn’t appear to be any of those things. At least in the case of “Tank,” there’s a built-in argument if Paul loses in that Davis is a top pound-for-pound champion.
With Till, there’s no such defense.
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Paul would simply be on a level playing field opposite a 32-year-old Southpaw with knockout power who’s actually riding a win streak. Any good boxing promoter knows matching their talent up with leftie hitters is a fool’s errand, and Paul’s career is nothing if not carefully managed. It’s the kind of match up fans have been demanding for years now, and exactly the one Paul has thus far avoided.
“The Gorilla” called out the retired Carl Froch after his win, which feels equally unlikely. As it stands, Till looks to be too sharp for the influencer scene but obviously not on the level of a real-deal professional boxer at the height of his powers. The biggest money fight remains “The Problem Child,” but for that to materialize, Till might have to take a loss or two first.
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