Paul is coming off of a decision win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., which followed a widely criticized matchup with boxing legend Mike Tyson, who Paul also defeated by decision. The Davis matchup, an exhibition, was marketed as Paul finally facing a world-class boxer in their prime, albeit one that was several weight classes smaller than him.

Since then, former pound-for-pound king, Andre Ward has been added to the shortlist of fighters Paul is attempting to fight, despite the 41-year-old having been in retirement for over eight years. Ward last fought in 2017 when he defended his light heavyweight titles in a rematch against Sergey Kovalev, scoring a knockout in round eight.