Jake Paul cracks WBA world rankings with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. win, eligible for 'Zurdo' title bout
In the World Boxing Association (WBA) rankings for the month of July, released Monday night, Paul debuted as the No. 14 contender in the world at cruiserweight — his first official placement in a top 15 by one of boxing's four major sanctioning bodies.
Advertisement
A top-15 ranking technically makes a boxer eligible to fight for the sanctioning body's world title, so Paul can theoretically now challenge WBA and WBO unified cruiserweight champion Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez for his two belts next — if the respective boxers' teams were to come to an agreement for the bout.
Paul and "Zurdo" shared a card this past Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, with the fighters winning unanimous decisions against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Yuniel Dorticos, respectively.
For Paul (12-1, 7 KOs), it was his second straight triumph over a former world champion, following his victory over a 58-year-old Mike Tyson this past November. Chávez Jr. shared the ring with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez in 2017 and Daniel Jacobs in 2019, so he was perceived as a significant step up for Paul on paper. Chávez, however, didn't truly try to win until the final couple of rounds.
Advertisement
WBA president Gilberto Mendoza revealed before the bout that if Paul could beat the former WBC middleweight champion, he would be placed in the pioneer sanctioning body's world rankings. Paul lived up to his end of the bargain, and now so has Mendoza.
Paul and Ramirez faced off in the post-fight press conference after the event, with Paul reiterating his desire to win a boxing world title.
"I want tougher fighters. I want to be world champion," Paul said. "Zurdo looked slow as s*** tonight, that'd be easy work too."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
41 minutes ago
- New York Times
Hawks, Rockets among NBA's early free agency winners with more to come
The Bounce Newsletter | This is The Athletic's daily NBA newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Bounce directly in your inbox. Unrestricted free agent Malik Beasley was set to get a three-year deal for somewhere in the range of $42 million with the Pistons. He's now under federal investigation related to gambling. No charges or formal accusations have been made, and he might be in the clear. That's not great timing, though. LeBron, Lakers in a weird place right now The Lakers' timeline situation ever since Luka Dončić was gifted to them back in early February has looked bizarre. Life was almost simpler before that trade. They could've aimed to ride out the LeBron James-Anthony Davis chapter until the wheels fell off. From there, they could've started selling Lakers mystique to new big stars in hopes of furthering their legacy and hanging more banners. Maybe it's not a foolproof plan and super easy to execute, but it's worked enough times in the franchise's history. And it worked after they signed LeBron back in 2018. Advertisement Then, Dallas sent Dončić to the Lakers, which has changed just about everything. The Lakers now have to start playing for the future and present-day championship stability. The funny thing is lead executive Rob Pelinka was already trying to toe that line, as he wasn't ready to relinquish assets for another LeBron-Davis-led championship pursuit. Now, the Lakers must build around Dončić and aim for championship stability. The problem is LeBron is still very much on this team. Before free agency opened, he picked up his $52.6 million player option for the 2025-26 season. It will be his 23rd season, just a mind-boggling number when you consider his résumé, mileage and current production. But something curious happened as that option got picked up. LeBron's longtime agent, Rich Paul, issued this statement. Via Dan Woike and Joe Vardon: 'LeBron knows the Lakers are building for the future, and he also wants to compete for championships. We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what's best for him. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we've had for eight years with Jeanie (Buss) and Rob (Pelinka) and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.' This is … awkward? It's kind of awkward. It reads like LeBron knows he's not fully needed around there, even though he is on the roster. The Lakers need LeBron to team with Dončić because their roster has no other starpower in a league dependent on multiple stars for a title run. At the same time, this team doesn't really have a future with LeBron because he'll be 41 years old in December. Dončić turns 27 this season. The timelines just don't match up. Advertisement LeBron clearly knows this, but he also wants his money. Considering even max-level contracts have left him grossly underpaid pretty much his entire career (he really should be getting nine figures per season in a truly open market), I understand him wanting that full $52.6 million this season. LeBron is hanging around the Lakers and figuring out if there's a better place to be to end his career. Everybody assumes a third stop in Cleveland would be the natural landing spot, but that's only if the Cavaliers pursue it. The Lakers are preparing for 2027, when they will have a lot of cap space to build around Dončić. For the first time in his career, LeBron is not the priority for his franchise. I'm not even sure it should be. The Lakers are no longer about him. They have their next guy. And they're looking for the right pieces to maximize his time in purple and gold, which is hard to do with a 40-year-old star eating up one-third of the salary cap, even if that star remains an unmatched presence. (More on the Lakers' issues below.) WNBA prepared to welcome three new teams 🏀 More growth! The NBA may be balking on expansion, but the WNBA is not. Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia will each get teams by 2030. ⭐ Immediate star. We have a rookie joining Caitlin Clark as an All-Star starter. Paige Bueckers has been voted in. 🏀 A big problem. Achilles injuries are a massive issue, and nobody knows why it's happening. Dominique Wilkins is all too familiar with it. 🪣 The perfect fit. Kevin Durant is a seamless addition to the Rockets. Watch why this is the case. 🏀 Next generation. Want to know who your favorite team is tanking for? AJ Dybantsa doesn't lead the 2026 mock draft? 🇨🇦 Eternal impact. Longtime executive Masai Ujiri is out in Toronto, but his influence will always remain strong. The story of the greatest players in NBA history. In 100 riveting profiles, top basketball writers justify their selections and uncover the history of the NBA in the process. The story of the greatest players in NBA history. Rockets charge in West; Hawks improve in East Day 1 of free agency is in the books, and, just in case you needed everything in one place for you, I've got a roundup with grades, analysis and emojis all right here. Maybe you're still wondering where guys like Myles Turner, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook might end up. It's possible you're curious where Ben Simmons is headed. Well, we have a live blog for you! For now, let's go over the winners and losers of free agency on Day 1. Advertisement Winner: Rockets What a summer for the Rockets. They signed Dorian Finney-Smith to a brilliant deal ($53 million over four years). They gave Jabari Smith Jr. a five-year, $122 million extension (Mike Vorkunov explains the NBA's new salary landscape here). Fred VanVleet came back for $50 million over two years. They're retooling their depth. Clint Capela returned to Houston for three years and $21.5 million. Oh yeah, and the Rockets will soon complete a trade for Kevin Durant. This team is aiming for the Thunder's conference crown. Winner: Hawks We knew about the Kristaps Porziņģis trade and them fleecing New Orleans for a great draft pick next summer. Then, the Hawks made two great signings with a sign-and-trade to bring Nickeil Alexander-Walker from Minnesota for $62 million over four years (giving up a second-rounder and cash), and Luke Kennard for one year, $11 million. The East is wide open, and Atlanta might be looking to be the new Pacers. Winner: Grizzlies I'm not totally sold on Jaren Jackson Jr.'s five-year, $240 million extension being foolproof. But they also brought back Santi Aldama ($52 million over three years), and they took Ty Jerome from Cleveland for $28 million over three years. Losing Desmond Bane was tough, but Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with Jerome is no joke. Loser: Celtics They dealt Porziņģis and Jrue Holiday for Anfernee Simons and Georges Niang. Those are good pickups, but they're still downgrades for cost-cutting purposes. Luke Kornet left for San Antonio. The Warriors are trying to take Al Horford. And the Celtics are hoping Luka Garza can fill the gap? Yikes. Loser: Lakers They lost Dorian Finney-Smith to Houston and replaced him with Jake LaRavia, which … sure? I guess so. As mentioned, Capela went back to Houston. Brook Lopez joined the Clippers. Now, the Lakers have to hope Deandre Ayton, who was recently bought out by the Trail Blazers, will sign with them and be magically motivated. Loser: Restricted free-agent class There isn't a lot of league-wide cap space to use for offer sheets and leverage. So, where is the money going to come for Josh Giddey, Jonathan Kuminga, Cam Thomas and the rest of these guys? I don't like this system, but I'm not smart enough to think of something else. Sneaky great value: Orlando signed Tyus Jones for one year and $7 million. He's the perfect point guard for the Magic on a very small, manageable deal. Nuggets make trade for a breath of fresh air Just last week, Nuggets owner Josh Kroenke had one of the weirdest quotes we've ever seen. He and the new front office executives were asked about the impact of the second apron and how its hurdles/restrictions could impact the Nuggets. Kroenke started speaking and possibly just got caught up in the air. In the middle of his answer, he said this about Kentavious Caldwell-Pope leaving last summer: 'I think that there are rules around it that we needed to be very careful of with our injury history. The wrong person gets injured, and, very quickly, you're into a scenario that I never want to have to contemplate, and that's trading No. 15.' Advertisement Out of nowhere, he mentioned the worst-case scenario of contemplating a trade involving Nikola Jokić, which nobody ever thought the second apron would lead to. We all were wondering what he meant. Denver was up against this very constraint until yesterday's brilliant trade. The Nuggets agreed to send Michael Porter Jr. with an unprotected 2032 first-round pick to the Nets for Cameron Johnson. Off the rip, I like this trade for both teams and graded the deal as such. The Nets get a potentially highly valuable pick in 2032 for the price of letting Porter be a top scorer during some tanking seasons. He can drop 30-40 points without affecting their mission of winning the draft lottery. For Denver, this provides a breath of fresh air from the second-apron threat. Johnson and Porter are both signed through the 2026-27 season. The difference is Porter makes $78 million in that time, and Johnson is owed $44 million. Denver will save $17 million per season. The Nuggets followed up the news of this trade by bringing back Bruce Brown for the veteran's minimum. (He was one of the financial casualties of that title-winning team in 2023.) Here's a quick comparison between the main pieces in this Nuggets-Nets swap: Shooting-wise, Johnson is as good as Porter, and I'd argue a much better fit and value when you consider that contract disparity. This is the type of deal that puts Denver back in position to add to its depth and return to the thick of a title chase in the West. And the Nuggets don't have to worry about ever needing to trade No. 15. It's not like they ever should. Streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
When do Eagles get Super Bowl 2025 rings and what do they look like? What we know now
The only thing left to cap the Philadelphia Eagles' victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2025 Super Bowl is the ring ceremony. But what will the Eagles' Super Bowl 59 ring look like, and when will Saquon Barkley, Jalen Hurts, Nick Sirianni and the rest of the Eagles' championship team receive their rings? Here's what we know. When will Eagles get Super Bowl 2025 rings? CBS Sports' NFL insider Jeff Kerr confirmed in a post on X the Philadelphia Eagles will receive their Super Bowl 59 championship rings on Friday, July 18. What will the Eagles' Super Bowl ring look like? The official design of the Philadelphia Eagles' 2025 Super Bowl ring is generally a tightly-kept secret, but fans did get a peak at the championship rings when the Eagles shared a video of various players being fitted. The base model of the Super Bowl 59 rings Eagles players' were trying on appear to be made from either platinum or white gold, and the head of the ring appears to have two rows of diamonds, possibly for the shaping into two Lombardi trophies. Advertisement Other versions of the Super Bowl championship ring included player's numbers on the ring head, as one ring appeared to have the 13 on the top, for Eagles outside linebacker Joshua Uche. Who made the Eagles Super Bowl ring? Longtime Super Bowl championship ring jeweler Jostens is designing the 2025 Super Bowl championship. Jostens has designed 38 of the 59 Super Bowl Championship rings, including the ring for the Eagles' victory over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 52, which was constructed from 10-karat white gold with 219 diamonds and 17 green sapphires. Apr 28, 2025; Washington, DC, USA; Two Vince Lombardi Trophies, a helmet and jersey on a table before President Donald Trump honors the Super Bowl LIX champion Philadelphia Eagles at The White House in Washington D.C., on April 28, 2025. Can I attend the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl ring ceremony? Fans, unfortunately, won't be able to attend the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl ring ceremony, as the event is closed to the public. Advertisement NBCSports Philadelphia and other regional sports networks may put on a Super Bowl ring presentation livestream or segment on July 18, however. Damon C. Williams is a Philadelphia-based journalist reporting on trending topics across the Mid-Atlantic Region. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: What to know now about Eagles Super Bowl 2025 rings
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Bucks say goodbye to Brook Lopez, ending an era, but how will Milwaukee change?
For the last seven seasons, opponents knew what to expect when the Milwaukee Bucks took the floor. On offense, every time those opponents tried to get into the paint, they were going to have to deal with a 7-footer waiting for them at the rim. On defense, they were going to have to try to figure out how to build a wall to stop Giannis Antetokounmpo, while also knowing that the same 7-footer who was blocking their shots on the other end would be somewhere out behind the 3-point line, ready to fire off a deep 3. Advertisement Now, that will no longer be the case. The Bucks were involved in much of the action on the first night of free agency, but none of the moves made Monday will change them more fundamentally than 37-year-old center Brook Lopez agreeing to a two-year, $18 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers. Lopez was a Bucks fixture. For the last seven seasons, he was a near guarantee to be in the center circle for the jump ball and using every trick in the book to remain in the lane for as long as possible as the anchor of the Bucks' defense. Outside of the 2021-22 season in which he played in only 13 games because of back surgery, Lopez appeared in 456 of a possible 473 regular-season games in his other six seasons with the Bucks. He departs Milwaukee second all-time in career blocks, trailing only his teammate and friend Antetokounmpo, with 990 and fourth all-time in career 3-pointers with 826. He was one of the core four, along with Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton, that led the Bucks to an NBA championship in 2021, the franchise's first since 1971. Lopez's transformation into an elite 3-point shooting big man with the Bucks after a decade as one of the league's best back-to-the-basket bigs will remain one of the most startling in-career changes from any player in NBA history. But now, Lopez is gone. Antetokounmpo is the only member of the core four still left, and only Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton remain with him as NBA champions from the historic 2021 team. Without Lopez, the Bucks will be different next season. No matter who they choose to help fill the gap at center for the upcoming season, they will have the opportunity to play a different brand of basketball. They may still end up with a center who needs to play drop coverage in pick-and-rolls or a big man who can shoot 3s, but whoever they choose will almost certainly not be as bound to one specific play style as Lopez. My 🦖🙏🏽 — Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) July 1, 2025 The Bucks should end up being more flexible stylistically, which is where the rest of the Bucks' free agent signings on Monday night enter the conversation. While Lopez's departure from Milwaukee was the most emotional move of the night, or the one that will remind fans of the continued changing of eras in basketball, the Bucks' free-agent agreements represent a different path forward. Advertisement To open free agency, Bucks general manager Jon Horst was able to agree with three members of last season's roster while potentially keeping the non-taxpayer midlevel exception free for the addition of a bigger outside free agent. That business started with Kevin Porter Jr., who agreed to sign a two-year, $10.5 million deal with a player option in the second season, to return to the Bucks after joining the team at the trade deadline last season. To maintain the ability to use the full $14.1 million of the non-taxpayer midlevel exception, the Bucks made Porter's contract the size of the bi-annual exception. With Damian Lillard out for a majority of the season recovering from surgery to repair a torn left Achilles tendon, Porter will have the opportunity to step into a significant opportunity at point guard, which was something he took advantage of toward the end of last season. When Lillard was sidelined with a deep vein thrombosis in his right calf, Porter stepped into a larger role and put up bigger numbers. In his final 13 regular-season games, Porter averaged 14.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in 24.7 minutes per game as the Bucks adopted a different play style, featuring Antetokounmpo playing more like a point forward. Getting an opportunity to build his on-court chemistry with Antetokounmpo should be significant for Porter and potentially for the Bucks. In 541 possessions together, which translates to only 270 minutes, lineups featuring both Antetokounmpo and Porter were plus-20.1 points per 100 possessions. They scored 125.0 points per 100 possessions, while allowing only 104.9 points per 100 possessions. Per Cleaning the Glass, their overall production was in the 99th percentile in the NBA last season, with an offense in the 97th percentile and a defense in the 98th percentile. As the first night of free agency progressed, the Bucks made agreements with two other players from last year's roster, Gary Trent Jr. and Taurean Prince, using creative salary cap maneuvers that allowed them to keep their $14.1 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception untouched heading into the second day of free agency. Advertisement Trent, who signed a two-year, $7.5 million deal with a player option in the second season, ended up back in Milwaukee on a bargain deal compared to some of the other shooting guards around the NBA. During the season, Trent averaged 11.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 25.6 minutes per game, mainly coming off the bench. He signed in Milwaukee last offseason, hoping to start at shooting guard, but an early-season injury and shooting slump caused head coach Doc Rivers to move him to the bench, and Trent thrived in that role. In Game 3 of the Bucks' first-round series against the Indiana Pacers, Rivers moved Trent back into the starting lineup. And he flourished, scoring 37 points in that first game back in the starting lineup and then another 32 points in the Bucks' do-or-die Game 5 in Indiana. Prince, who signed a two-year, $7.2 million deal with a player option in the second season, had somewhat of an inverse experience from Trent. Last season, he started 73 games for the Bucks in the regular season and averaged 8.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while knocking down 43.9 percent from 3. In the playoffs, though, Prince struggled. He started the first two games of the series before Rivers moved him to the bench for Game 3. Prince played fewer than five minutes in both Games 3 and 5 of the series. It's a relatively cheap contract for Prince, so they didn't overextend themselves for Prince's consistent regular-season production, but the Bucks will need more from him this upcoming season. With the three moves on Monday, Horst has solidified his depth chart at a few positions, but holes remain in the team's current depth chart. Point guard: Kevin Porter Jr., Ryan Rollins (restricted), Damian Lillard (injured) Shooting guard: Gary Trent Jr., AJ Green (non-guaranteed), Pat Connaughton Advertisement Small forward: Kyle Kuzma, Taurean Prince, Andre Jackson Jr. (non-guaranteed), Chris Livingston (non-guaranteed) Power forward: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Tyler Smith, Bogi Marković (draft pick) Center: Bobby Portis The salaries for the nine projected guaranteed contracts above total $168.2 million, leaving the Bucks roughly $19.7 million below the luxury tax line of $187.9 million. While the first apron is approximately $8 million more than the luxury tax line, the Bucks' guaranteed contracts would be $25.3 million away from the first apron because of Kyle Kuzma's $2.4 million in unlikely bonuses. Because of their use of an exception, the Bucks will end up being hard-capped at the first apron, which means they cannot exceed that salary number for any reason this upcoming season. Adding the three non-guaranteed contracts (Green, Jackson and Livingston) would shrink the Bucks' space to the luxury tax and first apron lines by roughly $6.7 million. Offering the minimum contract to Marković would reduce their expenses by another $1.3 million. Coming to terms with Rollins on a new contract would shrink it even further. The Bucks could increase their potential spending power by deciding against guaranteeing one of the non-guaranteed contracts or moving one of their current contracts for less money. In the end, though, the Bucks have the full non-taxpayer midlevel exception worth $14.1 million at their disposal and a need for more depth in the frontcourt alongside Antetokounmpo and Portis. With the core of their roster in place, the Bucks have some options remaining for how they want to build out the rest of their team. It will depend on whether they want to exceed the luxury tax threshold for the season. However, no matter what they choose over the next few days, losing Lopez means the Bucks will look different next season. (Photo of Brook Lopez: John Fisher / Getty Images)
