WBA rank Jake Paul at No. 14, making him eligible to contend for world title

Jake Paul formally cracks the WBA’s top 15 with his win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Jake Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) has officially cracked the top 15 with at least one of the major sanctioning bodies, as Paul has now been slotted in as the No. 14 cruiserweight in the WBA’s rankings following his win over a dreadful Julio Cesar Chavez Jr last weekend.

With Paul’s current ranking he’s now a viable contender for the WBA’s cruiserweight world title currently held by Gilberto Ramirez. That Paul has managed this position, relative to the people he’s faced during his professional boxing career, is a pretty obvious farce to hardcore boxing fans and other contenders. That said, boxing has always been teetered between showmanship vs actual sportsmanship, so this isn’t all that stunning in some regards.

Whether Paul goes on to target an actual fight against Ramirez or seeks out another handpicked opponent remains to be seen, but that the man is actually in position to challenge for a world is pretty noteworthy.