'Chicken without a head' - Chavez Sr makes Paul prediction

Jake Paul has fought 60 rounds compared to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr's 344

Julio Cesar Chavez Sr believes his son will leave Jake Paul running around the ring "like a chicken without a head" when they meet on Saturday in California.

Paul, 28, faces 39-year-old Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in a 10-round cruiserweight bout at the Honda Center.

The son of legendary Mexican fighter, Chavez Jr was world champion at middleweight in 2012 but has endured a chequered record since, winning eight of his last 13 fights.

Paul says a win over Chavez Jr will kick off a "title run", but Sr ridiculed the American at a news conference on Thursday.

"Jake Paul just fought against Mike Tyson, who didn't even throw one punch," he said, referencing Paul's drab fight against 58-year-old Mike Tyson last November.

"This is not Mike Tyson. You [Jake] are going to get your ass whooped.

"Julio is going to go in throwing some serious punches, and you're going to be running like a chicken without a head."

Paul has mostly fought ex-MMA fighters in his 11-1 career, his sole defeat coming to Tommy Fury.

Two of Chavez Jr's last three fights have been against ex-UFC fighters and a particular low point was losing to UFC legend and 46-year-old Anderson Silva in 2021.

Weight problems and addiction issues have plagued Chavez Jr's 62-fight career in recent years and he has only fought three times since 2021.

Paul described himself as a "great boxer" but Chavez Jr disagreed.

"No, I don't think he's good. I think he tries, he trains hard, but he's not a good fighter," he said. "He's definitely not a good boxer.

"If he were a good boxer, then everyone else on this stage would be a legend. I don't think he's a good boxer, and everybody knows that."

Julio Cesar Chavez Sr won world titles in three different weight classes

Paul stuck a sign on Chavez Jr's table at the news conference

Former UFC champion Holly Holm makes her return to boxing on the undercard against Yolanda Guadalupe Vega Ochoa, after 12 years focusing on MMA

Gilberto Ramirez defends his cruiserweight world titles against Yuniel Dorticos, with Paul seemingly trying to position himself to fight Ramirez in the future