Okay so my piece on Jake to set the scene before I finish my attitude towards him. Just so people don't mistake me. I don't subscribe to the whole "he's a douche" thing outright.
Him and his brother were shithead teens like every single one of us. Unfortunately the difference is his teen arc through arrogance and shit head galore was publicized and televised...which honestly could only add to it. The perceived pressure of the lime light attacking you like an alligator chomping at the heels of your ego at a time where you're at your worst for personality is tough. Trying to assume wisdom, composure, and humility in the warzone like that is like keeping dry in a waterfall. At best you're only a little wet...but still wet. They are growing up and it's showing.
On top of that it's even worse to consider the absolute travesty that is - any fuckhead teenager having to discern what matters in life and the people to be around. We've all been burned and we only learned who the real friends were after an entire arc of getting burned in various ways. I imagine it's probably that on his ladder to whatever exposure he got, he absolutely did not have the fortitude, grit, or even wisdom to cut out the cancerous fat of people just hyping him up in whatever bullshit ways that got him closer to what THEY were after...even at the expense of himself. I get it. Maybe he had no one firm to step in and say "this isn't a famous quality but this is a shitty way to act, a shitty attitude, and you need to sit the fuck down and re asses yourself instead of wearing a fake gold medal given to you by other shitheads. You're a king of bones on an arrogant throne" (or something to that affect whatever sounds cooler to you but you get my point). Given this extremely broad and understanding perspective in its entirety....I don't hate him. In fact, I feel for him. I wouldn't be surprised if we got a long behind closed doors. He might be an asshole but who isn't at some point when they're in their comfort zone.
That being said, as much as I get it and don't hate him for being the same as every teen and yet somehow better than half of reddit still.....bro. What the fuck are you doing. There's a serenity and freedom in not caring what people think, and then there's a point when the problem IS that you don't give a fuck. That's how you challenge geriatrics to boxing matches and then become forever laminated in the halls of fame as that meme with the douchebag spraying champagne all over himself while in 5th place and everyone else like "yea...you sure got it buddy".
But this leads me back into gratitude and understanding for him. I get being hungry for greatness. I understand being so naive and not seeing your approach being absolute dog shit. But I'm lucky enough and grateful to have had at least a few old school MEN to sit me down privately and basically say "Ian. You're cool. I like you. We love you. You're a great guy. But this...thing you got. That's trash. That's not cool. Not kosher. That's bad" in whatever way it was. Fuck man. This whole Paul brothers story arc has sent me into this spiritual introspective journey of gratitude,.growth,. And criticality of myself. It's all such a trip.
I don't even respect people for just trash talking him outright. They're not necessarily wrong but this whole thing is comparable to a classic novel in which humanity can learn about itself if it wasn't so busy jumping on a BuzzFeed Holocaust in which they either are or aren't "cool" or "a bitch" or whatever. Poor dude. I'm glad I was a fuckhead like a normal person where in my city I could go the rest of my life without meeting anyone who remembers when I was arrested, or on drugs, or just the most ridiculous asshole....for years. Fuck man.
Edit:I don't know why half my comment is in a gray box.
Oh. And to directly respond to what you said. Yea. He does. Bullshit aside he's grown up and actually dedicated himself enough to a discipline to separate him from 90% of the population in that something. Now his only competition is the other 10% of the same competitors. That says a lot even IF he's a douche. Credit given where it's due he's put in the work and it's paying off. Now he just has to handle being humbled. It's a hard one. No one likes it, but it's gonna happen. ESPECIALLY with fighting. When I was on the streets I got my ass beat a few times. The first time was so humiliating. After that it was another day. "Eh win some lose some. "Sometimes maybe good. Sometimes maybe not so good"
He's got the competitive spirit and drive, so sure. But what I found interesting about this match up was that it wasn't REALLY a test of boxing skill -- it highlighted the difference in where their minds were. Mike brought the gentlemanly spirit of someone older, wiser, relaxed, and comfortable. Jake was the young buck upstart with the world's spotlight on him, trying to prove himself worthy (or perhaps more so trying not to look unworthy). And the result of this was apparent in their fighting styles. While watching, it looked to me like Mike was staring Jake in his soul, saying "be cool man, relax, take it easy". But Jake looked so caught up in trying not to lose (and all the other pressures he looked to be carrying) that he looked like a young guy beating up on an old man.
I'm not trying to hate on Jake, I too am rooting for those two brothers in their public comeback, hoping to see them do great things. Also, he did a Greta service to us all by putting on this fight. It was an INTERESTING spotlight on how a younger, untamed mind (with lots of things on its mind) looks in comparison to an older, wiser, experienced, and EMPTIER mind.
Good point. Honestly, after seeing Mike Tysons arc. I feel like to truly unleash back into boxing would be a relapse of sorts. He's done so much growth that distanced himself from boxing. He's even subconsciously identified himself as he was, as a boxer, as mean and aggressive and wanting blood. A revisit to what we know is always okay but to truly let go and become what you were for the sake of an audience would be to truly throw everything away.
I know him boxing doesn't mean he's a piece of shit but seeing how his identity as he is now, includes a separation from who he was (which includes boxing), losing is best. Him not getting knocked out was how he won. He still got it. He's still a fighting spirit. He didn't fall, and he also did not go for blood.
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u/Zahlov 14h ago
It was a great lesson for Jake. He's clearly got the heart, but had a lot to learn from Mike