Not just a reality star. Darrell Taylor, best known for his many appearances on The Challenge, wants to head into the ring and face off against Jake Paul, he said during the Thursday, April 22, episode of the “Watch With Us: Challenge Edition” podcast.
“Jake Paul is a huge YouTuber and he has fought two fights on an app called Triller. Don’t get me wrong. This isn’t a hate kind of interview. I love what he’s doing. He’s an entertainer. I love that,” Mark Long, who plans to be in Taylor’s corner in the fight, said during the interview. “But he’s pumping himself up as a great fighter and boxer.”
So does Taylor, 41, have what it takes? It sure sounds like it. Although he noted that Paul, 23, is “smart” with his YouTube channel and creating an empire, he’s not thrilled by what he’s doing to the sport of boxing.
“I just feel like they’re making a mockery out of boxing. Boxing saved my life. When I was younger — I was 21. I was drinking, smoking weed every day, getting fat, getting out of shape. I was like, ‘You know what? I’m going to go to the boxing gym,'” he shared. “My uncle used to box when I was younger. I tried it, I dabbled with it for two summers, but never competed. So I trained for four months, the Golden Gloves were coming. It was the novice. I jumped in and got second place. The next year, I won the open. So the fact that he’s saying he’s a great boxer and all this, I think it just really kinda messes with me a little bit. I feel like he’s disrespecting boxing. He’s gassing himself up way too much. So when I see this and he’s saying, ‘Who should [I] fight next?’ Well, why don’t you fight somebody who knows what it’s like to be in the ring?”
The four-time Challenge champ noted that he stays in shape “all year round” and trains non-stop. “Boxing is like riding a bike to me. All I gotta do is give me like two, three months and I’ll be ready to go,” he added.
Long, 49, is also hopeful that this could become a full-fledged event, showing the world how big both the YouTube and MTV families are.
“In my mind, wearing the promoter’s hat, why not take the two biggest pop culture icons ever — MTV vs. YouTube?” the All Stars producer said. “Each platform has millions and millions of loyal fans. Let’s make this thing as a thing. I mean, can you imagine? [Mike] “The Situation” [Sorrentino], Pauly D [DelVecchio], Vinny [Guadagnino], [Johnny] Bananas, Derrick [Kosinski], Rob Dyrdek, for that matter, and me sitting in the front row, going ham watching this fight, getting all the MTV Challenge stans watching this thing? You wouldn’t even have to hype this. … Again, no hate. I just think it would be a great matchup for both of them and step up to the challenge!”
Taylor then promised, “He’s not gonna knock me out like these other cats. Give these people a show.”
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New episodes of The Challenge: All Stars drop on Paramount+ every Thursday.