Georges St-Pierre feels Jake Paul has a good chance at defeating Tyron Woodley.
Paul and Woodley are scheduled to share the ring on August 28. The two will go one-on-one on Showtime PPV. This will be Woodley’s first pro boxing match and Paul’s fourth.
There was a time when Woodley once ran the roost in the UFC’s welterweight division. He had been recognized as the most dominant 170-pounder since GSP before he ran into Kamaru Usman, who has since taken that distinction. Following a four-fight skid, Woodley made his UFC exit.
Taking to the official Tristar Gym YouTube page, St-Pierre discussed Paul’s chances against Woodley (h/t MMAFighting.com).
“He could, definitely. It’s a different sport. In MMA I would say no, but in boxing he’s much bigger than Tyron Woodley, and also he trains very hard. I’m not saying that’s what’s going to happen, but I think he definitely can do it.
“I’m not one of the haters, and [Paul] actually is a very nice guy.”
St-Pierre went on to say that boxing and MMA are simply different and that Woodley’s edge in combat sports experience may not be a big factor.
“It’s a different sport. When I was training when I was world champion, I was boxing with some great amateur boxers that, they were not world-class amateurs but they were great amateur boxers, and it was good training. It’s a completely different sport, and just to put that into perspective, I believe if you would allow dirty boxing in boxing, you would have a total different set of champions. Because you change a rule, you change the game. Woodley has more experience in combat sports than Jake Paul, but it’s a different game. It’s interesting. As a fan, I’m going to watch it for sure.”
St-Pierre was also looking to step inside the boxing ring. “Rush” claims he was offered a boxing match against Oscar De La Hoya but the UFC blocked it from happening.
