Jake Paul announced Tuesday that his next boxing match will be on March 2 against Ryan Bourland in Puerto Rico.
Paul noted in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he is facing the far more experienced Bourland to build up his skill set, and he also divulged that he will donate his entire fight purse to his nonprofit organization called Boxing Bullies:
Jake Paul @jakepaulThe goal is simple, build the skillset to become world champion. Next up is a guy who has twice as many professional fights under his belt than I do. Ryan "The Rhino" Bourland. And just like the animal in his bone chilling nickname… he is also endangered😂😅<br><br>On Saturday, March… <a href="">
Per ESPN's Marc Raimondi, the fight will take place in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and it will be the semi-main event under Puerto Rican star Amanda Serrano's bout against Nina Meinke.
The 35-year-old Bourland released a statement on the fight in which he vowed to knock Paul out and end his boxing career:
"Jake Paul steps into the ring with his social media clout, but let's not mistake followers for experience or skill. While he's been busy chasing likes, I've been honing my craft for years, stepping into the ring and beating real boxers. On Saturday, March 2 I will shock the world and put an end to Jake Paul's boxing career."
According to Raimondi, Bourland is a former Golden Gloves champion and National Junior Olympics boxer, and he owns a career professional record of 17-2 with six wins by way of knockout.
Bourland won his most recent bout, knocking out Santario Martin in September 2022, but that marked Bourland's first fight since 2018.
The 27-year-old Paul is 8-1 in his pro boxing career with five of those victories coming via knockout.
None of Paul's first six fights were against legitimate boxers, as he beat YouTuber AnEsonGib, former NBA guard Nate Robinson and a trio of former UFC fighters in Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva.
Paul's first bout against a boxer was in February 2023 when he faced Tommy Fury, who handed Paul his first career loss by split decision.
Paul bounced back by beating former UFC fighter Nate Diaz in August, and in his most recent fight, Paul knocked out boxer Andre August in the first round in December.
The loss was only the second of the 35-year-old August's career, knocking him down to 10-2-1.
While Paul has yet to face a boxer who has experienced any substantial success professionally, his recent fight choices mark a clear step forward in his career.
If Paul can take down Bourland like he did August, he may not be too far away from fighting some boxers with name value.
