Jake Paul faces Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. June 28th in Anaheim
Jake Paul (11-1, 7 KOs) will fight former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (54-6-1, 34 KOs) on Saturday, June 28 at the Honda Center in Anaheim California. This bout will be contested in the cruiserweight division. The co-feature bout will have unified cruiserweight champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez defending his titles against former world champion Yuniel Dorticos.
Paul is coming off of the decision win over Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium and has visions of becoming a world champion. He has scored five straight wins since his lone loss to Tommy Fury in 2023. He has built himself as one of the biggest attractions in the sport, and for June 28th he believes that he can defeat the former champion in Chavez Jr.
“Five years ago, I stepped into the ring for my pro debut after a single amateur fight, and every fight since has been a step towards becoming world champion. I just defeated the baddest man on the planet, and now I’m going against a former champion who conman Canelo couldn’t finish,” Paul said. “On Saturday, June 28th, live on DAZN pay-per-view, I will knock out Julio and make Chávez Sr. proud in ways Jr. never has.”
Chavez Jr. had his first fight in three years last July against Uriah Hall, and that was on the undercard of Paul’s fight against Mike Perry. The former WBC middleweight champion was unbeaten in his first 47 fights before losing to Sergio Martinez. Chavez Jr. has won three straight since his split decision loss to Anderson Silva in 2023.
“First of all, I will show what I can do now that everything is in the right place in my life—mentally and physically,” said Julio César Chávez Jr. “I feel rejuvenated and 10 years younger. Second, I want to thank MVP for taking the risk of fighting me. Unfortunately for their Problem Child, they’re going to have a big problem this June—one they won’t know how to resolve. Hopefully when I beat him, people won’t underestimate this win.”
The co-feature bout has WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez (47-1, 30 KOs) defending the titles against former IBF and WBA champion Yuniel Dorticos (27-2, 25 KOs). It will be Ramirez’s first defense of the WBO title as he won it from Chris Billam-Smith last November. He has wins over Joe Smith Jr. and won the WBA title from Arsen Goulamarian. Dorticos is the WBA mandatory challenger, and Ramirez is aware of how dangerous Dorticos can be.
“I’m excited to step back into the ring this June to defend my WBA and WBO titles. Dorticos is my WBA mandatory, and I know I need to get past this opponent to stay on track to become the undisputed champion,” said Ramirez. “The goal hasn’t changed. I’m locked in, and I’m proud to be featured on this card alongside Jake Paul and my good friend Julio César Chávez Jr. I can’t wait to put on a show you won’t forget.”
Dorticos has had three fights since his loss to Mairis Briedis in 2020, but they have all been by knockout. “The KO Doctor” wants to become champion again but will face the top rated fighter in the division. It took just one round for him to dispatch Alan Campa last June, so his level of activity hasn’t been much. However, he feels that he can get the job done on June 28th.
“I want to thank MVP, my promoters and Golden Boy for this opportunity,” said Dorticós. “My goal is to become a three-time world champion, and now by fighting Zurdo Ramirez I have been granted the chance to accomplish my goals on Saturday, June 28th.”
