“I stand behind that” – Anthony Pettis backs Jake Paul to solve fighter pay problem

Jake Paul has solidified a powerful position in the combat sports community as an advocate for greater pay and benefits for athletes on the circuit. Anthony Pettis recently rallied behind Paul to support him in this crusade.

While in conversation with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, ‘Showtime’ offered his take on the YouTuber-turned-boxer’s attempt at bringing forth a wave of change in the fight business.

Pettis admitted that he was initially oblivious to Jake Paul’s message and his goal. However, he lauded the fledgling boxer’s marketing and image management skills for effectively becoming the face of pugilism in a matter of 12 months.

He further admitted that his fame had come to a point where even well-established fighters discussed his antics and his plans to reform the combat sports community.

“I think now that he’s like, advocating for fighter pay and, you know, for health benefits, I stand behind that, man. Me, being a fighter and an athlete, you know, knowing what happened to some of my friends and the guys that I looked up to. Seeing like Spencer Fisher and seeing his documentary. Man I trained with Spencer Fisher when I was 18, 19, coming up and seeing where he’s at now, damn that’s scary so.”

Check out Anthony Pettis’ appearance on The MMA Hour right here:

Spencer Fisher is an extremely popular UFC fighter whose career came to a screeching halt in 2013 after a pre-fight medical scan detected lesions in his brain. He exhibited symptoms of a future diagnosis of CTE.

MMA Fighting produced a short feature that documented Fisher’s struggles and how he has been dealing with his condition on a day-to-day basis.

Jake Paul did not envision enjoying such success as a promoter during his pro debut

Jake Paul is currently promoting one of, if not the biggest, women’s boxing fights in the world between Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor. The match is set to take place on April 30 at the iconic Madison Square Garden for the undisputed women’s lightweight title.

While in conversation with iFL TV, Jake Paul candidly revealed that he did not think he’d reach such heights in the realm of boxing when he was making his debut against AnEsonGib back in 2020.

They locked horns at Meridian at Island Gardens in Miami. He finished his fellow YouTuber in the first round. When asked whether he saw himself being involved with boxing like this in the future at the time, here’s what Paul had to say:

“Not at the time. You know, not at the time. I needed to prove myself as a fighter and grow my name. But once I did that, you know, I knew I wanted to get involved on the promotional side of things and that’s how this road led to where we are today.”

Watch Jake Paul’s interaction with iFL TV right here:

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