While now’s not the time to go into the current state of boxing, or the fascination with YouTubers fighting ageing UFC stars for that matter, we have to admit admiring a few things about Jake Paul’s defeat of Nate Diaz in Dallas at the weekend. Namely his fit and sneakers.
What Paul’s ring walk to Lil Durk’s “All My Life” in front of the 20,000 fans at the American Airline Center lacked in confidence, it certainly made up for in look, as the boxer (I guess we can call him that now) sported a black and white head-to-toe $100k outfit inspired by Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack and made by LA-based sneaker and streetwear brand The Surgeon.
What’s perhaps most impressive about the look—and the fight—is that Paul fought in some custommade Travis Scott’s AJ1 Phantom Low shoes, made fight-ready by The Surgeon—also known as Dominic Ciambrone. Ultra-luxe and lightweight, the days of Mike Tyson’s slightly menacing all-black mid-top no-brand shoe appear to be well and truly over.
Paul’s only loss remains a split decision to Tommy Fury in Saudi Arabia, but he defeated Diaz well—this was the latter’s debut fight in the Queensberry Rules—by unanimous decision after also knocking him down in the fifth round of 10. But then, just as you think Paul is slowly finding some credibility in the sport, he reportedly offers Diaz $10m for a rematch—only this time in the Octagon. Let’s hope his fit is enough to keep us interested in that one, too.