WBO president Gustavo Olivieri has laid out the criteria Jake Paul must meet to receive a world ranking from the major sanctioning body.
The hottest topic amongst boxing’s alphabet bodies right now is whether the YouTuber is deserving of making it into their respective top 15 ratings
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman, whose organisation have a top 40 list for each weight class, endorsed Paul to enter their rankings in November, but the rest of the committee didn’t see it the same way.
WBA president Gilberto Mendoza went one step further by floating around the idea of sanctioning a fight between Paul and former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr for one of their many trinkets earlier this year.
The WBO’s stance was unclear – until Olivieri sat down with talkSPORT.com.
Explaining where they sit on ranking Paul at cruiserweight, Olivieri said: “That’s been trending as to whether the sanctioning bodies should or should not rank Jake Paul.
“As per the WBO position, if he qualifies and meets the criteria, why not rank him?
“But again, it has to be in accordance with the rules. We need to abide by and adhere to those rules.
“And I think Jake Paul will certainly meet the criteria. I’ve seen it personally. I’ve talked with Amanda Serrano, who has trained with him.
“He’s putting the work in. He’s getting better, and I’m sure he wants to pursue a legitimate shot at fighting either for a regional title or for a world championship.
“And he’s very intelligent, and his team is as well, MVP, Nakisa and the staff; they know what they’re doing, and surely he’ll take a bigger step and thereafter a bigger one until he makes it to the top, and at cruiserweight, he may have a chance.”
Paul’s 10-1 record is mostly made up of wins against ageing MMA star stars, while his last outing was a unanimous decision victory against 58-year-old Mike Tyson in November.
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Pressed on whether that would be enough to earn him a ranking, Olivieri replied: “I have to review his record but he needs at least, per our criteria, to have at least four fights scheduled for eight rounds or two scheduled for 10 just to enter the ratings [Paul has had nine 8 rounders and one 10 rounder].
“He must also have a positive record, level of activity and suitable opposition.
“Again, we have to consider each case on a case-by-case basis.
“One of the advantages that Jake Paul may have is fighting a cruiserweight.
“There’s no depth at cruiserweight. You need a big name at cruiserweight weight.
“Maybe Jake Paul is that name that the cruiserweight division needs…
“It is a mix of things but if he meets the criteria the WBO wouldn’t have any objection of ranking Jake Paul.”
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