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Jake Paul is telling his story in the revealing Netflix documentary “Untold: Jake the Problem Child,” and opening up to “Extra’s” Melvin Robert about his journey from YouTuber to pro boxer.
Paul started as a cocky social media star who took over Vine and sparked online backlash.
Looking back, Jake said, “I realized that everyone just wanted to pull me down because I was doing so good and once I realized that, I truly harnessed all my power and then no one was able to stop me after that.”
Melvin asked, “You’ve had your highs and lows, how did you get yourself through?”
The star replied, “I think having that fighter spirit.”
Three years ago, Jake made his controversial move to the ring. Melvin recalled a lot of hate being thrown Paul’s way as he made the transition.
Jake said, “For sure, and rightfully so. Boxing is a very protected sport and they don’t want people to make a mimicry of it and I had to earn my stripes. I had to earn the respect of others and to show them that I was taking it very, very seriously. And I did exactly that. So the criticism at first was definitely, like, warranted, but now I think people see that I’m committed to this sport.”
Paul, still a social media star, has been hyping his big weekend pay-per-view fight with Nate Diaz to his 24 million Instagram followers.
He said, “I’m making it myself. I’m putting it up on my Stories. I’m tweeting. I’m doing all of these things because naturally, that’s like what I’ve always done since I was, you know, 15, 16 years old in this entertainment industry. I think that’s what makes my fights different than others is my own promotion behind it.”
So how does he feel heading into the fight weekend?
“It’s just having fun now and staying relaxed and staying calm, because I know what to do once I get into the ring,” he said. “We’ve done all the training and a lot of guys get super tense and nervous, but this is my favorite part and it’s just remembering that. And there’s a little bit of butterflies that come up, of course. I’m just trying to have as much fun as possible.”