If you’re still on the fence about YouTube star-turned-boxer Jake Paul shaking up the boxing world, consider this your official wake-up call—doubt, be gone! On December 5, Undisputed, the latest boxing video game, sent ripples through the community after officially revealing The Problem Child DLC for the game, headlined by none other than Paul. And let us tell you, fans were NOT pleased…

But before we get to the meat of the story, the influencer turned fighter is part of a downloadable player pack available December 12, with purchase of ‘The Problem Child’ DLC Pack. The game will be available for Xbox, PS5 and PC, featuring over 70 real-world fighters, both male and female, as well as 60 different punches and a secondary roster of trainers, cutmen and managers. Paul—who’s often accused of not being a “real fighter”—will be available to spar in a virtual ring in three different outfits, and he couldn’t be prouder.

“I’ve been breaking barriers and making history in real life, so it’s only fitting that I bring the same energy to Undisputed. This isn’t just about being in a video game; it’s about inspiring a new generation of fans to step into the ring—virtually and in real life. The Steel City team nailed every detail, from my moves to my swag, and I can’t wait for players to test their skills as ‘El Gallo de Dorado.’ Just like in the real ring, I’m here to take over,” the 27-year-old opined.

Notably, even Mike Tyson, widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers in history, has not been featured in the game. While this can be attributed to his contract with EA Sports, where he is a playable character in UFC (a mixed martial arts game), the former Disney star’s inclusion is surprising to many. For starters, he burst into the scene just four years ago, and till date, has failed to “prove” himself as a professional to the community. Reason? His supposed lack of boxing pedigree, sometimes overly aggressive persona while calling out veterans of the sport, and opponent selections.

Just take the Paul vs Tyson bout for example—he sparred against 58-year-old man, who was way beyond his prime, and “almost died” after a two-and-a-half-inch bleeding ulcer saw him lose 26 pounds. So, as expected, fans were angry and even called out the influencer for a “scripted fight”.  

However, if you ask Steel City Interactive’s (the game studio that developed Undisputed) founder and CEO Ash Habib, Jake Paul’s place in the game is well-earned. “Jake’s influence on modern boxing is undeniable. His meteoric rise has introduced a whole new generation to the sport, especially those who have followed him from a YouTube phenomenon to a legitimate boxing contender…His inclusion in Undisputed represents our commitment to featuring fighters who bring something new and exciting to the sport, pushing boxing inside and outside the ring.”

Having said that, as it turns out, besides ‘El Gallo De Dorado,’ the Undisputed expansion will add the likes of heavyweight contenders Zhilei Zhang and Otto Wallin, Mexican legends Juan Manuel Márquez, Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, and former heavyweight champion James ‘Buster’ Douglas. However, that’s not the end of things included in the pack.

Besides the additional boxers added to the game, The Problem Child DLC will also bring in alternate ring attires for Terence Crawford, Deontay Wilder, Vasyl Lomachenko, Roy Jones Jr., Sunny Edwards, and Seniesa Estrada. While some may have expected Mike Tyson to get added to the game alongside Jake Paul, that is not the case.

In anticipation of the upcoming Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury rematch, the DLC will also include two brand new ‘Ring of Fire’ outfits for the duo. On top of that, it will have two new fighting venues, new animations for knockouts and knockdowns, movement up and down in weight class for Career Mode, audio, and UI changes. 

Fans can also expect more expansions in the coming year, which may include new arenas and a career mode update. Regardless, it’s also worth noting that after the game hit the shelves back in October, it may have sold over a million copies within the first month, but it was marred with gameplay issues that caused the sales numbers to stumble. 

Several patches have been sent out to fix the issues, and more are expected in the future. Despite all that, when fans discovered the news on social media recently…Well, let’s just say Undisputed may see an adverse effect on the sales numbers with Paul in the fray…

Fan threatens to sell the game

Even though Jake Paul may have pulled 65 million people to his fight against former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, he isn’t exactly liked, at least, in the boxing world. If you don’t believe it, take this user for instance, who outright claimed they will sell the game. “I’ll sell this game,” the user wrote. While this may not affect the sales for the DLC, it just goes to show the kind of reputation Paul has with the community. 

Another user took a dig at Paul for his label of an ‘influencer boxer.’ “Boxing game is supposed to have boxers, right???” the user sarcastically asked. It’s hard to argue against the statement since Paul fought one legitimate boxer, lost the fight, and fought Mike Tyson, who, let’s face it, was never going to win. 

Meanwhile, the game seems to have missed out on a potential buyer because of their latest inclusion. “I was about to order this game for Christmas but when I saw this I changing my order,” one user commented. Notably, the games comes for $79.99 (and $59.99 for the standard version) on Xbox and PS5. On PC (Steam), it’s $69.99, with the standard version being $49.99.

On a separate note, one social media user even held ‘The Problem Child’ accountable for a big offense. “Man singlehandedly ruined boxing,” they wrote. Well ruining the game or not, Jake Paul sure does know how to attract eyeballs, and money. The Tyson vs Paul event brought a staggering estimated average minute audience (AMA) of 108 million live viewers globally. Netflix, the official broadcaster for the event, had also reported that the heavyweight boxing match was viewed by 60 million households globally.

Then, as per Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, the fight broke the US boxing gate record outsides Las Vegas. It was the highest-grossing combat event in Texas at $18.1 million.

One Instagram user could not believe what they were seeing. “This has to be a joke 😂,” they commented. However, it’s absolutely true. The publishers of the game, or any organization for that matter, would do everything that would benefit their profit margins. Only in this case, it might be a huge miss judging from the comments on the post. 

That being said, it appears even though Jake Paul continues to make strides in the sport, boxing fans just aren’t willing to accept him as their own. Despite that, he continues to print money through the sport. What are your thoughts on the recent update? We are all ears.