Jake Paul stops Ryan Bourland in 1st round
Jake Paul made it look too easy in his return to the ring against Ryan Bourland.
The YouTube-star-turned-boxer defeated Bourland via TKO at the 2:37 mark of the first round in a cruiserweight bout Saturday night in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Paul wobbled Bourland with a heavy right hand and landed a flurry of punches. From there, Paul didn't let his opponent off the hook. He patiently picked his shots and eventually overwhelmed Bourland with another barrage of punches against the ropes, forcing the referee to step in and wave off the match.
Paul, who lives and trains in Puerto Rico, said in his postfight interview he wanted the fight "to be a little bit longer" in order to "give the fans some more time."
Bourland was Paul's most experienced opponent to date, bringing a 17-2 pro record into the fight. But that didn't matter. As soon as the bout began, it was clear that Bourland was in over his head. Paul was busy right away and able to land punches at will, attacking Bourland's head and body. He outlanded Bourland 24-3, according to CompuBox.
"Little bit of shake and bake, dodged his little punches, and put his sorry ass on the floor," Paul said of the finish. "That's just how we do it from Ohio."
Paul, who was coming off a devastating first-round knockout over pro boxer Andre August last December, has won three straight.
Paul's last two fights have come against lesser-known journeymen boxers after he made a name for himself in the combat sports world by facing popular MMA fighters like Nate Diaz, Anderson Silva, and Tyron Woodley. Those matchups were all major pay-per-view attractions, but Saturday's event was available to watch simply via a DAZN subscription.
Paul's current plan is to take a more traditional route as an up-and-coming boxer, with the goal of fighting for a world title one day.
"I want Canelo (Álvarez). I want all the biggest names," Paul said. "Like I said, I'm the face of this sport. Truly. Who's doing more for boxing than me? ... I'm here to stay. I'm a staple in this game. And I really want all the smoke."
The 27-year-old Paul is now 9-1 as a pro with six knockouts. His lone loss came via split decision against Tommy Fury, the half-brother of WBC heavyweight champ Tyson, in February 2023.
Bourland fell to 17-3 with the defeat. This was the 35-year-old California native's first boxing match since September 2022.