CLEVELAND – Malki Kawa believes he negotiated a strong deal for his client Tyron Woodley going into Sunday’s anticipated boxing match with Jake Paul.
Kawa, one of the co-founders of First Round Management, said it was a complicated process coming to terms with Paul’s side on financial details around the boxing match between the YouTuber and the former UFC welterweight champion.
He’s ultimately pleased with the middle ground that was reached, and aside from Conor McGregor’s memorable match with Floyd Mayweather in 2016, thinks Woodley is about to make the biggest payday ever for an athlete stepping into the boxing ring for the first time.
According to Kawa, the expectation is for Woodley to leave with a payday in the mid-seven-figures. Not only does he get a base purse, but he also is set to receive a cut of the pay-per-view buys. Kawa also hinted at a percentage of items such as ticket sales, merchandise and more.
“The money is good,” Kawa told MMA Junkie. “He’s making a seven-figure payday, and it’s not like $1 million. It’s more. And we get a piece of everything as well, so we expect him to walk out of here with a substantial payday for his first fight in boxing.”
If Woodley is successful in the eight-round, 190-pound bout with Paul that airs on Showtime pay-per-view from Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the fallout will trend toward an immediate rematch between the two. Kawa confirmed Paul’s team asked for a rematch clause to be included in the initial contract, and “we said yes.”
First “The Chosen One” must handle business on fight night, though. It’s been a chaotic week leading up to the match, with a hectic press conference going down on Thursday where the teams from both athletes clashed then some heated interviews taking place on Friday.
Kawa said Woodley hasn’t been flustered by any antics from Paul on his team, though. He said he sees similarities in Woodley’s demeanor from prior to UFC 201, when he claimed the UFC welterweight belt from Robbie Lawler. That makes him feel good about Woodley’s chances.
“Great vibes (from Woodley) – Robbie Lawler vibes,” Kawa said. “That one. Very focused. Very prepared. You can tell he’s confident in what he’s done for this fight. When you watch him – you see him very calm. He didn’t have to cut any weight. He’s in a great mood. Calm. As you get older the weight cuts get harder, but he was a professional and he always made weight. You see the last four fights, the weight cuts and that stuff. Probably took a lot out of the tank. We’re going to have a full tank. We’re going to be able to go the distance. We’re going to be able to knock him out. We’re going to be able to do whatever we want to do.”
Manager Malki Kawa details Tyron Woodley’s ‘substantial payday’ for Jake Paul fight