Jake Paul faces huge pay cut after $40million purse for Mike Tyson fight

Jake Paul is set to be hit with a huge pay cut ahead of his cruiserweight showdown with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

The 'Problem Child' comes into the dust-up off the back of a win over boxing legend Mike Tyson last November. Paul is eager to stay active in the ring and - with a win over the former middleweight champion - the American is targeting future bouts with some of the biggest names in the sport.

As for Chavez Jr, the Mexican has been rather inactive in the ring as of late and has not been seen since beating Uriah Hall last July. Immediately after Paul's clash with Tyson, Netflix revealed 60million households worldwide tuned in live and it is estimated that there were 108 million viewers who tuned into watch the pair trade leather.

Naturally, given the attention, both men were rewarded handsomely - with Paul pocketing $40m (£29.1m), while Tyson earned $20m (£14.5m). This time - according to reports - it is expected that Paul will take home around 50 percent of that this time around. While $20m (£14.5m) is still an impressive figure, it is a huge dip in pay compared to what the 'Problem Child' earned in his last outing.

Prior to his clash with Tyson, Paul took on former UFC star Mike Perry. After knocking out the American in the sixth round, the 28-year-old took home a tidy sum of $3m (£2.1m). Paul is believed to have earned several million dollars for his last few fights.

That was a far cry from the $30million Paul claimed he earned for fighting Tommy Fury back in 2023 - a fight he lost by split-decision. Taking to social media, Paul posted a video of himself partying after the fight with the caption: "When you lost but made $30m." However, according to various reports, the American actually took home $3.9m (£2.8m).

Early on in his professional boxing career, Paul made a habit of fighting former UFC stars. For his showdown with middleweight icon Anderson Silva, the 'Problem Child' earned a whopping $5m (£4.2m), while he earned over $4m (£2.9m) for his two fights with Tyron Woodley.

It was not always luxurious, though. The 28-year-old recently admitted he "didn't make much" money during his first year as a professional boxer. "I’ve roughly been averaging around $40million a year for the past four years in boxing," Paul told the Iced Coffee Hour podcast. "The first year, year and a half of boxing, I didn’t make much. I was definitely at a loss in my first year in boxing." It was not until he fully embraced his 'bad guy' persona that he earned jaw-dropping sums of money every fight.

"I think everything worked out perfectly," he added. "If I didn't have my YouTube persona and following, with everyone doubting I could become a boxer and everyone hating me, I don't think I would be making as much. In boxing, the villain makes more, and that is why I purposefully make people hate me and play that role and be the bad guy.

"You want to pay for the pay-per-view or tune into Netflix more to see the guy get knocked out that you hate. It is a lot of money, and I am definitely blessed and grateful, but it feels like every bit of it was earned. I worked my a*** off every day for 12 years straight, and then finally everything clicks overnight, and then eight, nine years into it I feel like I can make what I finally deserve. I feel like every penny I have made, I deserve more because of the amount of work I have put into it. I think my biggest paydays in the sport of boxing are still to come for sure."