When Anthony Taylor met Jake Paul, he was a struggling MMA fighter making a last ditch effort for the UFC.
He had transformed his career from journeyman to legitimate prospect, but the coronavirus pandemic had put a complete stop to his plans. A win over Chris Avila in Bellator was his fifth in a row, and there had been discussions about a possible debut in the sport's biggest promotion.
But when he was offered the opportunity to join Team Paul as a sparring partner for his first fight with Tyron Woodley, the California native took a big risk. And it has now paid off as he has solidified himself as one of the stars of Misfits Boxing, headlining his first show on DAZN against Darren Till on Saturday night.
Anthony Taylor joined Jake Paul's team in the summer of 2021
Amid a cloud of uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, Anthony Taylor has been active on social media, desperately calling for fights with everyone. He was something of a well-known troll in hardcore MMA circles, but struggled to get a big shot in the new world.
However, that all changed in April 2021 when a call to Jake Paul on Twitter was surprisingly answered by his coach BJ Flores. He was invited to fly across America at his own expense from California to Miami, where Paul trained to fight Ben Askren, and spar for free to prove his mettle.
To Flores' surprise, Taylor arrived for the final day of sparring and gave what he got for four rounds before being replaced by a new partner. A few weeks later, he was called up to fly to Puerto Rico and join Paul as a key sparring partner for his first fight with Tyron Woodley.
It ultimately spelled the end of his MMA career as he opted to pursue the influencer boxing world instead of taking a fight against veteran Jim Alers. “Jake Paul paid me $2,500 a week for three to four months,” he told Bloody Elbow in an exclusive chat.
“That's $10,000 a month. Come on, brother. Cage Warriors offered me $1,500 to find someone who used to be in the UFC. Of course, I turned it down to make $2,500 a week. Why wouldn't I? Come on, just saying.”
Photo by Misfits Boxing
It turned out that this move was the right one; Paul rewarded him for his character in training with a fight against Tommy Fury on the Woodley undercard, which earned him another $40,000. It was a career-high payday for Taylor, and he parlayed it into a career in the Misfits Boxing world.
He is now the Misfits Light Heavyweight Champion and has fought all over the world, scoring memorable victories over the likes of Salt Papi, Gabriel Silva and Karate Combat's Samuel Ericsson. Things come to a head on Saturday night when he takes on former UFC title contender Till at the Co-Op Live in Manchester.
Now Anthony Taylor really wants to fight Jake Paul
However, he doesn't see the Till fight as the end of a great journey, but as the beginning of his move to the next step in the boxing world. After learning MMA from the legendary Antonio McKee, he turned his full attention to boxing under the tutelage of Chris Lopez.
“It didn't matter where I was in my life,” he notes, listing potential opponents. “I knew I was going to be successful and I knew I was going to fight one of those guys. I was so close that me and Tyron Woodley were fighting in Qatar. We were so close. It's crazy how I'm fighting an ex-UFC champion.
“It's crazy how I'm fighting Tyson Fury's little brother. It's crazy how I'm sparring with Jake Paul, the biggest influencer in the world. It's crazy how I was going to fight KSI, you know? It's crazy how I spared Logan Paul. The Rock retweeted my tweet using the people's elbow.
“I made a viral video with me and Floyd Mayweather, you know, these things are inevitable. I do my best and manifest these moments and look, sooner or later I'm going to have to fight Floyd Mayweather.
But the endgame would be a real fight with Jake Paul himself. The pair shared numerous rounds of ring sparring together in 2021, but both have developed their styles significantly in the meantime.
Paul has never been overly complimentary of Taylor's skills. Last summer he told Bloody Elbow that he thought his old teammate was 'sloppy' and wondered if he would have beaten KSI in their canceled fight at Misfits in Dublin.
However, Taylor is confident in what he can do. “Yes, I, I love my brother Jake Paul,” he continued. “There is nothing but love and opportunity. I have no hatred or ill will towards Jake. My boy J'Leon [Love, Paul’s trainer]that's my homie, that's my mutt right there.
“Jake, look man, we got unfinished business and it's about the money, currency over inheritance, baby. Let's get it. Look, if you think about the resume, I've been there as many times as he has. I won the Misfits Boxing World Championship.
“Yes, I'm 35, but I've beaten some really cool guys. I'm going to beat Darren Till, what he was talking about, possibly fight Darren Till… Everyone will support this fight: Misfits will support this fight, the KSI fans will support this fight. Jake Paul fans will be excited for this fight.
Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images
“They'll say, 'well, at least, even though AT is older, he's been active, he's fought, he's not afraid to fight'… And look, I know how to beat Jake Paul by joining to be him. We can fight at any weight. If he wants to gain weight at 200 pounds, let him gain weight at 200 pounds. I come in at 176, 177.
“The fans want to see Jake Paul fight someone, why not someone who knows him very well and who is as present on social media as I am. If he doesn't fight KSI, the only guy he should fight is me.
“No one cares about Julio Cesar Chavez Junior. No one will care if he decides to fight him. They want to see an active person, the Misfits champion.
“There are millions of Misfits fans who want to support me, who will support and watch his pay-per-view. Personally, I think me and Jake Paul have done a little over 700,000 pay-per-view buys. That would be a pretty special fight.”
Anthony Taylor takes on Darren Till in the main event of Misfits Boxing and DAZN's X-Series 20 at the Co-Op Live in Manchester on Saturday night. IViewers can watch live on DAZN from 7pm GMT or buy tickets at Ticketmaster.co.uk.
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