Ashton Sylve’s Father Believes His Son’s Progress Has Been Slowed by Jake Paul

Ivan Sylve believes that fight fans and the media aren’t taking his son, lightweight Ashton Sylve, as seriously as they once did due to his association with Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions.

Sylve is currently awaiting his next fight date, initially set for July 20 against Floyd Schofield, but the original event has been moved to the fall.

Ivan believes his son isn’t getting the recognition he deserves, noting that Ashton is a 10-round fighter on the verge of becoming a contender but isn’t being mentioned among the division’s best young talents. He attributes this to a media bias against Jake Paul, despite Ashton (11-0, 9 KOs), 20, being a decorated amateur and a professional fast-tracked to a title.

“It was really good at first coming out,” Ivan said. “He started off at 16, turned professional. Went through Mexico, then we came out here on the MarvNation cards.

“You would think that it went up after partnering with Jake [Paul], but people kind of took him as a joke. When he partnered with Jake, his skills didn’t go anywhere, but they kind of took him as a joke. The boxing pundits and writers stopped talking about him.”

Ivan believes this is a backlash related to Paul’s sometimes-outrageous behavior.

“Just because Jake started off as an influencer, I don’t think the boxing community as a whole takes his career seriously,” Ivan said.

Though frustrated with the lack of recognition for Ashton (nicknamed “H20”), Ivan is complimentary of Paul, labeling him “a good prospect” and even believing he can win a world title. He credits Paul with having a great image that helps him sell based on his personality.

“Boxers now need to learn how to market themselves, just like influencers or any other entertainers,” Ivan said. “It’s a part of show business. So they have to learn how to market themselves. He’s created himself as ‘The Problem Child,’ the bad boy. So he markets himself well. That’s why he sells so many tickets. That’s why he has as many views as he does.”

Ivan sees his son among the best in his weight class and the sport. The proud father seeks recognition for his son to be listed among the next generation of boxing’s best.

“They are lining up people on [credible outlets] and H20’s name isn’t mentioned,” Ivan said. “Come on, he’s better than all these guys. Abdullah [Mason], he’s good. I like the kid, but he’s not a 10-round fighter. You can’t mention him and my son at the same time. When Abdullah or [Emiliano] Vargas is not a 10-round fighter, my son is moving into contender status, moving into championship status. Sooner or later, we will get those fights, but they are still at six-round fights. I think my son’s name should be mentioned with everybody, with the Frank Martins.”