By Norm Frauenheim-
GLENDALE, Ariz. – He rode in on a horse.
Maybe, it was a nod toward Arizona’s wild-west past. Or, maybe, it was his way of saying he was the cavalry, riding to the rescue in an attempt to save a battered game from a head-long gallop to its own demise. Or, maybe, an elephant wasn’t available.
Whatever it was, Jake Paul, an unconventional boxer, enlivened a traditional media event Wednesday with an unconventional entrance for a public workout a few days before his cruiserweight bout with UFC icon Anderson Silva Saturday night on Showtime pay-per-view.
Paul had fun and a crowd of fans on a pavilion outside of the renamed Desert Diamond Arena west of Phoenix had some fun with him.
That’s not to say that Paul also didn’t do some business. He doesn’t just ride horses. He also has some horse sense. If his entrance was an acknowledgement of AZ history, his presence at the Glendale arena was also an acknowledgment of the state’s best-known fighter.
Paul mentioned David Benavidez, telling the DAZN Boxing Show he’d like to be his promoter. Why not? He’s in the neighborhood after all, talking, training and talking at an arena where Benavidez blew out David Lemieux in his last bout on May 21.
Benavidez grew up a few miles east of the arena, formerly known as Gila River. Metro Phoenix is the heart-beat of Benavidez’ emerging fan base. You could hear it, loud and clear, in his three-round demolition of Lemieux.
“David Benavidez,’’ said Paul, who promotes Amanda Serrano. “I think he’s big in the boxing world and he’s a superstar, he’s my favorite boxer, but he needs that push just like Amanda did into the mainstream.
“The kid needs to be on billboards, he needs to be on podcasts, he needs to be collaborating with influencers. He needs help making some content and getting some big sponsorships to get his name out there even more.”
Benavidez already has a promoter/manager in Sampson Lewkowicz. He’s also aligned with PBC. But that doesn’t stop Paul, whose opinions are part of the fun. Both are inexhaustible, always part of the show.
Paul’s tireless self-promotional skill has created a huge virtual universe. Not even Canelo Alvarez can ignore the reported social-media number – 20 million-plus You Tube subscribers. That’s enough to add a zero to even Canelo’s paycheck.
Thus far, however, Canelo has ignored, or at least eluded Benavidez, who is reportedly close to a deal for a fight with Jose Uzcategui in January,
Canelo said after his super-middleweight decision over Gennadiy Golovkin in a third fight in September that Benavidez’ resume doesn’t measure up.
“What has he done?’’ Canelo asked angrily.
He’s done more than Paul, at least he has in boxing terms narrowly defined by an unbeaten record, including a World Boxing Council title that was lost twice — first for a positive drug test and then on the scale.
Yet, Paul has an answer. He proposes to promote Benavidez the way he promotes himself.
Put it his way: It’d be a wild ride.
