(Reuters) – Youtuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul extended his perfect record after sending Tyron Woodley face-first into the canvas with a vicious knockout blow in the sixth round at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida on Saturday.
In a largely uneventful bout, the first five rounds saw little significant action or quality with fans booing the lacklustre display, until Paul delivered a right hand blow that knocked Woodley out cold.
Paul, 24, beat former UFC champion Woodley for the second time in four months, after his split-decision victory in August, and improved his professional boxing record to 5-0.
The 39-year-old Woodley replaced Paul’s scheduled opponent Tommy Fury, half-brother of heavyweight champion Tyson, after the Briton dropped out earlier this month with a broken rib and chest infection.
“This guy is a legend and respect him for taking the fight on two weeks’ notice,” Paul said in an expletive-laden interview where he called out Fury for withdrawing from the match.
“It was a tough fight. I had blood in my eyes. I had the job done. I was setting the punch up the whole fight. He didn’t see it coming. Like a lumberjack, timber. It’s got to be the moment of my life.”
Paul has now knocked out all four of his opponents, having previously stopped fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib, former NBA guard Nate Robinson and ex-UFC fighter Ben Askren.
In the co-main event, unified featherweight world champion Amanda Serrano dominated Spain’s Miriam Gutierrez to win the lightweight bout via a unanimous decision.
Two-times NBA All-star Deron Williams beat former NFL running back Frank Gore by split decision in a four-round heavyweight bout earlier in the card.
(Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Michael Perry)
