Can 17-year-old 'Euphoria' star become boxing's next big thing? Jake Paul thinks so

Javon "Wanna" Walton plays a teenage drug dealer in HBO’s series "Euphoria," and he's found a compelling role in real life, too.

On Saturday, the 17-year-old actor will fight in Puerto Rico on a boxing card that features Jake Paul and will be broadcast by DAZN. Walton (1-0, 1 KO) will be in ring with 32-year-old Joshua Torres (0-1-1).

“I’m excited to show the world what I can do,’’ Walton said.

Walton, who won his pro debut Dec. 20 in the Dominican Republic by first-round TKO, is already a commodity inside and outside of the ring. At 16, he signed an endorsement deal with Jordan Brand. Last summer, he joined the boxing stable at Most Valuable Promotions, co-founded by Paul.

“I think it was like three, four years ago I would see his (boxing) clips popping up on Instagram,'' Paul told USA TODAY Sports. "But, man, he’s next up. He was the biggest unsigned prospect in boxing, and so of course we wanted him to be a part of our team.’’

But Walton, who has more than five million followers on Instagram, is moving too fast for some jurisdictions.

Most states, including New York and California, require boxers to be 18 before they can turn pro, said Andy Foster, executive director of the California State Athletic Commission.

“I don’t want to speak for state legislatures, but it probably seems reasonable that the public wants you to be a legal adult before you become a professional boxer,’’ Foster told USA TODAY Sports. “Because, you know, it’s reasonably dangerous.’’

But Walton, a 5-foot-8 southpaw who fights as a featherweight (126 pounds), said he felt ready to embark on a pro career rather than waiting until he turns 18 in July.

“I’ve been fighting since I was 4 years old, so I’ve had a very long career so far,’’ said Walton, who is trained by his father, DJ. “I just knew I had the experience to be able to excel in the pro game.’’

Concerns about head trauma

Coincidentally, Nico Ali Walsh, one of Muhammad Ali’s grandsons, is set to fight Saturday night in New York.

Ali Walsh, who made his pro debut at 20, is 8-1 with one no contest. His mother, Rasheda, said she did not allow Nico to box until he was in high school. Same for Nico’s brother, Biaggio, who made his pro debut in MMA last weekend.

Rasheda Ali said she put the age restrictions on her sons because head trauma from boxing is widely believed to have contributed to the Parkinson’s disease that plagued Muhammad Ali for decades before he died in 2016.

“Of course it concerns me,’’ Rasheda Ali told USA TODAY Sports. “I tried my best.’’

But Teddy Atlas, who trained championship boxers and worked with famed trainer Cus D’Amato, said it’s easier for young fighters to learn skills important to avoid getting hit.

"Cus always told me, start them young because when they’re older and you tell them to slip a punch, they’re going to say, 'Well, if I slip the punch I could get hit with that.' " Atlas said. "And that hinders their growth. When you start young, they’re not hindered by that thinking."

He also said older fighters have a harder time mastering how to stay calm in the ring.

“And I know, because I’ve been training fighters for 50 years,’’ said Atlas, who co-hosts “The Fight with Teddy Atlas” podcast.

'My little guy's showing interest'

Walton’s father, DJ, said he trained as a boxer but never fought professionally.

“When Wanna showed interest, I kind of lit up,’’ said DJ Walton, who founded Onward Athletics in Georgia and served as the head boxing coach. “I was like, wow, my little guy’s showing interest in a sport I was so passionate about.’’

On letting his son start boxing at 4, DJ Walton said, “You know, the brain is still developing and even with the big gloves and headgear, we didn’t really start sparring until 7½ and then he didn’t start competing until 8.’’

At 8, Javon Walton began to flourish in the ring. He attracted attention outside of it, too – including an appearance on "The Steve Harvey Show"in 2017. 

After Walton dazzled Harvey with some lightning-quick punches, he did a handstand on Harvey’s desk and dismounted with a backflip. But he impressed in the ring, too.

As an amateur boxer, Walton was 20-9 and won 13 of his last 15 fights. But he said acting limited his time for boxing.

“But now I’m fully locked in on boxing for the next long period of time because that’s what I want to prioritize,’’ Walton said. “In the acting world, I’ve established my name, but it’s time to do that in the boxing world.’’

Jake Paul sees a lucrative angle

Trying to make the U.S. Olympic team in time for the 2024 Paris Games starting in July was not an option. Boxers must be at least 19 to compete in the Olympics, and Walton turns 18 in July.

Sure, DJ Walton said, his son could have continued to fight as an amateur, “but really, what’s the angle there?’’

Paul appears to see a lucrative angle – find a boxer who can convert a social media following into pay-per-view buys. (The fight card Saturday will be available on DAZN without a PPV charge but will require a subscription. But the pay-per-view pays are expected to come.)

Sitting next to Javon Walton at a press conference this week, Paul said. “To my right is the future of boxing, a superstar, millions and millions of followers already engaged.’’