He’s done double duty on The Challenge over the past year, and now it appears Darrell Taylor is ready to get into the boxing ring. After recently witnessing internet-turned-boxing star Jake Paul improve to 3-0 professionally, many opponents are lining up to take him on.
Paul recently defeated Ben Askren in a first-round knockout, prompting him to ask “Who’s next?” on social media. Darrell seems to want to be that next opponent.
The 41-year-old has the experience. Based on his background in the ring, some feel he might give Paul a run for his money. Darrell’s All Stars castmate also seems to support that notion, based on a recent interview.
Darrell Taylor vs. Jake Paul in the ring?
Darrell Taylor is currently appearing on Paramount Plus’ The Challenge: All Stars, a spinoff of the regular-season edition of the show that MTV regularly airs. He was also part of that show’s Season 36, also known as The Challenge: Double Agents.
He’s racked up four wins on the MTV competition series in just the first four seasons of his Challenge career. Now that Jake Paul seems to be asking for more competition, The Challenge vet feels he’s ready to take on the YouTuber in boxing.
“Fight someone with real boxing experience next and I guarantee it won’t be a first round knock out. MTV vs YOUTUBE. Give the fans what they want! A real boxing match,” Darrell tweeted, also sharing a recent interview he was part of with.
In addition to tagging Jake Paul, Darrell also tagged hip-hop stars Snoop Dogg and E-40, along with professional boxer BJ Flores, who has been training Paul during his early fight career.
Paul’s trainer BJ Flores responds to Darrell
BJ Flores holds a 34-4-1 record in the boxing ring and now believes Jake Paul has what it takes to become a bonafide star in the ring. However, many people believe Flores is doing a lot to hype up Paul’s skills.
Flores replied to Darrell’s tweet on Friday, April 23, and it seems he doesn’t think The Challenge star has what it takes to make it against Paul. In fact, he and Darrell had a brief Twitter exchange in which Flores seemed to invite Darrell to stop by the gym for a free boxing lesson.
“You are DELUSIONAL. You would go down FACE FIRST just like the others. #100%,” Flores shot back.
“Bruh you need to look in the mirror. The whole BOXING world knows you [gas pump emoji]’N this man up #LOMACHENKO,” Darrell replied back.
He also shared a 20-second video clip (below) of BJ Flores hyping up Paul’s future in the ring.
“S***, you can come by the gym ANYTIME n get it for free. #Easywork,” BJ Flores replied back, suggesting Darrell can make a visit in his spare time.
All Stars castmate supports Darrell for boxing event
Not one to shy away from helping out one of his OG castmates, The Challenge: All Stars competitor and executive producer Mark Long suggested Darrell as an opponent right after Paul’s victory.
As of Friday, Darrell and Mark also popped up in a US Weekly interview, calling out Jake Paul, with Mark ready to be in his Challenge castmate’s corner.
Mark said he could see it being a major event with MTV and YouTube stars amongst the celebrities in attendance. He envisions MTV celebs like Rob Dyrdek, Johnny Bananas, and Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino being there to watch it go down. That would also get fans invested in seeing the bout.
“In my mind, wearing the promoter’s hat, why not take the two biggest pop culture icons ever — MTV vs. YouTube? Each platform has millions and millions of loyal fans. Let’s make this thing as a thing. I mean, can you imagine?” Mark said, also adding that there’s no hate towards Paul.
Darrell is certainly ready to go too. Based on his comments to US Weekly, he wants to show his skills in a sport that he says saved his life.
“I just feel like they’re making a mockery out of boxing. Boxing saved my life. When I was younger — I was 21. I was drinking, smoking weed every day, getting fat, getting out of shape. I was like, ‘You know what? I’m going to go to the boxing gym,'” Darell said.
Darrell mentioned his uncle was a boxer when he was younger. So after Darrell dabbled in it for a bit, he trained a bit more seriously and was able to win several competitive events. He indicated he now stays in shape “all year round” and would need two or three months before he’s “ready to go.”
“He’s not gonna knock me out like these other cats. Give these people a show,” Darrell told US Weekly.
The Challenge fans certainly know what Darrell is capable of based on recent performances on Double Agents and All Stars. However, he also has that classic fight from years ago where he took down castmate Brad Fiorenza, which has many longtime viewers ready to see if he still delivers a knockout punch.
The Challenge: All Stars episodes arrive Thursdays on Paramount Plus.