Jake Paul wearing a "make boxing great again" cap during a boxing press conference in February. Photo / Getty
OPINION:
A fight between Jake Paul and Sonny Bill Williams ain't happening.
Paul, the former Disney and YouTube star turned boxer, listed Williams as a potential opponent for his next blockbuster fight while interviewed on a podcast this week – although he clearly had no idea who SBW was.
Williams, hilariously dubbed "Sonny Williams out of Australia", was surprisingly named by Paul alongside boxing and MMA greats like Floyd Mayweather Jr and Anderson Silva as possible opponents, but the idea that Paul and his team would ever agree to fighting a relative no-name like SBW is bonkers.
Paul is one of boxing's biggest draws, despite only having five professional fights and zero prior boxing experience. But what he does have is an unbeaten 5-0 record (including highlight knockouts over two ex-UFC fighters) and a massive social media following, as well as the increasingly rare ability to sell out arenas and pay per view buys as a boxer.
Looks like I’m on the hit list 🥴
— Sonny Bill Williams (@SonnyBWilliams) April 14, 2022
I’m not gonna hate on this guy at all as I respect what he’s done. I also really respect his skillset as a boxer. But if he wants some he can get it! @jakepaul Yours respectfully - your first loss 🥊✊🏽 pic.twitter.com/wuGpZsyWD8
Boxing will always be mainly a financial opportunity for Paul, a prototypical internet grifter who has turned his entire existence into content. At this stage of his career, Paul has fighters lining up to cash in on his popularity, and to fight someone unknown to his largely American audience simply wouldn't make business sense.
Sure, a fight with SBW (9-0) could still bring in a massive pay per view audience and maybe sell out a stadium in Australia, while Paul would have a lot of leverage to demand a big chunk of the purse. But even a bout against another random retired UFC fighter, let alone names like Mayweather or Silva, stands to make way more money for all parties.
There's SBW transtasman clout, and then there's the different level of the Pauls, Gen Z's social media golden children. If Paul's career to date is any indication, the SBW saga that's briefly seen headlines buzzing Down Under was nothing more than a throwaway line and some good marketing from SBW's management.
Tale of the Tape:
Chris Wood hasn't quite rediscovered his scoring form (two goals in 12 games) since his big-money move to Newcastle United, and some fans have questioned if the Kiwi striker has a future at the richest club in world football.
Wood was brought to Newcastle largely as a quick-fix solution during the January transfer window, when the club was in serious danger of relegation. The fact that he came from Burnley, a fellow relegation struggler, seemed to sweeten the deal at the time. Wood's long-term place at the club was always a big question mark, with Newcastle having the cash to eventually buy a bigger-name striker down the line.
But it appears Wood has already won over many in the Toon army with his understated, hardworking style, illustrated in a Twitter thread by Newcastle-based football journalist George Caulkin.
This is a Chris Wood appreciation thread. Why? On Total Sport last night, #NUFC fans chatted about whether he would & should be at the club next season.
— George Caulkin (@GeorgeCaulkin) April 13, 2022
Maybe he’s not the future but what I like is that he was bought for the present & a position they absolutely had to fill.
In the thread, Caulkin makes a call to action to Newcastle fans about Wood's future at the club, and the reaction was overwhelmingly positive with many wanting the striker to stay.
"If this lad wasn't bought in January we would be down. Look at his work rate, one reason Burnley have been so successful over the years," said one fan. Others pointed out his work ethic and what he did to help the club battle their way out of relegation danger.
Whether or not Wood has a long-term future at Newcastle, he will always be the "greatest" in New Zealand:
England flanker Maro Itoje has been rubbing shoulders with some of hip hop's greats, and DJ Khaled, during his recent trip to America, showcasing the potential of some of rugby's big stars to crossover into the US.
Itoje signed with Jay Z's management agency Roc Nation Sports in late 2020 – which has a roster of some of sports' biggest names including All Blacks flanker Ardie Savea – and it looks like it's given him a bunch of promotional opportunities in America.
From his latest posts on Instagram and TikTok, Itoje has met rap legend Busta Rhymes, sat courtside to watch the Brooklyn Nets, and shared a meal with music producer and living-breathing meme DJ Khaled.
"Have you ever played rugby?" Khaled yells while being served food by a waitress in one of the strange videos posted on Itoje's TikTok.
It's the crossover nobody asked for, but rugby stars hanging out with pop culture royalty can only be a good thing for a sport that has long struggled to break into the American consciousness.
One of the great joys of my TikTok feed of late has been watching a man work tirelessly to figure out the obscure football matches playing in the background of various film and TV shows.
The TikTok account No Problem Gambler has made it his mission to find every football match in film and TV scenes and figure out exactly what game was playing.
His investigative vigour and attention to detail makes for great content, and with his videos garnering millions of views, many others seem to agree.
Australian defender Alanna Kennedy suffered a broken nose during the Matildas' 3-1 win over the Football Ferns on Tuesday.
But Kennedy only realised the extent of her injury when she looked up at the big screen and saw her crooked nose for herself – and her reaction was priceless.
She would later see the funny side of the injury, posting the video of her reaction on Twitter after the game:
If anyone nose a good surgeon, hit me up xx pic.twitter.com/ss72lrOepU
— Alanna Kennedy (@AlannaKennedy) April 13, 2022