Jake Paul KOs Andre August with Devastating Uppercut in 1st Round of Boxing Fight

Jake Paul moved his boxing record to 8-1 with a first-round knockout win over Andre August from the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida.

Early on, it was clear to see that Paul was much more comfortable under the bright lights. Paul came into the bout loose and in control while August appeared to be stiff and apprehensive.

After a few early exchanges that froze August. It didn’t take long for Paul to figure out the punch to get the finish as he landed a clean uppercut off of a jab that put August on the canvas for the count.

After the bout, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated noted that WBA president Gilberto Mendoza was sitting ringside for Paul’s performance. The boxing scribe added, “don’t be surprised to see Jake pop up in the WBA’s cruiserweight rankings soon.”

That would be a huge step forward in Paul’s hunt for legitimacy in the sweet science.

This was definitely not one of Paul’s more high-profile fights, but it shows his dedication to getting better at the sport. Unlike most of Paul’s opponents, August is not a well-known figure in or out of boxing. The 35-year-old came into the bout with a 10-1-1 record.

Although most of those wins have come against fellow unknown boxers with losing records, this was an opponent with a boxing background and no drawing power.

Paul, 26, acknowledges that he needs experience, but believes that he has the physical tools to become a world champion boxer.

“So, I’m on like this crash course to get all of those things, but it’s backed by this extreme athleticism. No boxer that has ever come to camp has beaten me in a jog, beaten me in a sprint, beaten me on the bench press, beaten me on the squats. So, that I have to my advantage, and I think I can get there in two to three years,” Paul told Farah Hannoun and Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie.

Paul continues to be a huge draw who evokes strong opinions.

On one hand, he’s carefully chosen his opponents and has mostly built his fighting reputation on beating older MMA fighters and non-boxing athletes. On the other, he’s held his own against those fighters who are still combat sports veterans.

If Paul truly wants to make a run at becoming a fighter with real title aspirations he’s going to have to continue to stay busy and log a lot of rounds. He does show some foundational skill, but they need a lot of honing in to become something.

Paul’s only foray into the ring with a boxer before this fight was a split-decision loss to Tommy Fury. Even then, Fury is more known for being related to Tyson Fury and his stint on reality TV series Love Island than his accomplishments in the sport.

Paul continues to rack up wins, which should keep interest in his career booming, but he has a long way to go.