After weeks of speculation, Jake Paul has finally announced his return to the squared circle. The Problem Child took to his ‘X’ and set July 5th as the date of his comeback. He last fought on November 15 against Mike Tyson in Texas and this time, he will wander off to New York for his next challenge.

The Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight was historic and became the most-watched boxing match of all time with more than 108 million viewers tuning in live to watch the fight, even shattering Canelo Alvarez’s gate revenue record with an astounding $18.1 million. With the fight, The Problem Child became a dream opponent for fighters because of the payday he could offer them. No one in the business can match the amount of eyeballs he is attracting to the sports. Even mainstream boxers like Artur Beterbiev and Daniel Dubois emerged to take a shot at the self-proclaimed ‘El Gallo.’ However, till now, no opponent has been confirmed for the July 5 match.

That was until Mike Majlak declared Jake Paul’s next fight as “bigger than the Tyson fight” on the Impaulsive podcast with Logan Paul chiming in “yeah” in response to a question by the co-host about who the Problem Child was fighting next. Majlak even went as far as to term it the “craziest thing of all time,” sending fans’ imagination into overdrive.

While there is no doubt in El Gallo’s ability to create a spectacle, recent rumors are suggesting that the 27-year-old might be punching above his weight this time. After all, he has an image to protect, and even though he has a vast selection of fighters to choose from, there are certain boxers that he must absolutely avoid. Who? Let’s take a look.

Canelo Alvarez

For the past few days, the rumors of Canelo Alvarez choosing Jake Paul as his opponent for his fight date in May have taken over everyone’s social media feed. The rumor started when boxing commentator online Felipe Corral reported the news. Certain boxing sources like @danthemanboxing and Dan Rafael further fueled the rumors stating that the Mexican icon and YouTuber-turned-boxer have engaged in “some level of discussion” about a potential fight in May.

However, it is unclear whether this fight would be an exhibition or a sanctioned bout. Furthermore, Paul competes at cruiserweight and has recently transitioned to heavyweight for the Tyson bout. On the other hand, Canelo has never fought above 175. The weight will not be an issue for the unified super middleweight champion, given his superior skills. However, if the Guadalajara native moves up to the decided catchweight and still manages to win, which he very likely will, it will expose El Gallo’s weakness, leaving him vulnerable and seriously affecting his market pull for the following fights.

This fight makes all the sense financially but looks like a confirmed KO victory for the Mexican superstar. Moreover, the criticism the pair will attract, especially Canelo, will be unfathomable. While Paul’s latest return date announcement has almost ruled out the possibility of this fight happening this May, if the plan changes, the duo needs to buckle up for the worst.

Ryan Garcia

If there is one person in the boxing world who can match The Problem Child in terms of controversy, it is Ryan Garcia. The Victorville native has been involved in countless controversies in his rather short career so far. A few months ago, Garcia, still serving his year-long ban imposed by NYSAC, laid down his comeback plans.

KingRy took the fans by surprise as he mentioned that he plans to take revenge on Jake Paul for what that latter did to Mike Tyson. A few days later, in a conversation with Fight Hype, Garcia formally laid down a challenge to the former YouTuber just because it was “an opportunity to make some good cash.” For him, it is a “low-risk” fight that can never go wrong and guarantees a massive paycheck despite there being a massive difference in size.

Keeping all the controversies aside, there is no doubt in Ryan Garcia’s ability. If Jake Paul decides to face the former WBC ‘interim’ lightweight champion, it is only going to end one way. Paul definitely has a huge reach and size advantage, but he also lets himself open and that is a bad move against the lighting-quick hands of Ryan Garcia—one left hook from KingRy landed clean, and it’s over for Jake Paul.

Undoubtedly, the fight will be easy work for Ryan Garcia and can expose the Cleveland native. Jake Paul has not acknowledged the challenge yet, and it is better if things stay that way. Because, if this bout happens, he might have to try his luck in a different avenue following the loss against a former lightweight.

Andre Ward

Who would have thought to see the ‘Son of God’ talking about his comeback in 2025? Andre Ward retired in 2017 and has been quite content with his work post-retirement. In the past eight years, the 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist has never once mentioned anything regarding a comeback to the squared circle. Well, it looks like Jake Paul can make anything possible.

The controversy started after the highly controversial Tyson-Paul fight. The sight of seeing his childhood legend withered and battered shook him up as he passive-aggressively taunted The Problem Child to challenge him. According to Ward, Paul needs “legitimacy” and there is only one retired fighter who can make that happen. The San Francisco native indeed hung up his gloves seven years ago without a single loss on his record. However, he can still expose Paul’s limitations.

Even this time, Jake Paul has not acknowledged the challenge yet, and once again, it is better if things remain like this. For Ward, there is nothing to lose in this fight, and even though ‘El Gallo’ thrives against MMA fighters and older, past-prime boxers, Ward will be too much for him to tackle.

What do you think? Should Jake Paul consider a fight against any of these opponents? Let us know your thoughts down below.