Wrexham player James McClean is fearsome on the pitch and in the boxing ring too. His next opponent? It could well be Jake Paul.
Wrexham have many a modern day hero during this incredible, ongoing journey under Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, and one of them is definitely James McClean.
The 103-cap former Republic of Ireland international joined when Wrexham were in League Two, making 89 total appearances so far with eight goals and 19 assists for the club.
He’s an absolutely integral player for Phil Parkinson, and despite now being 36 years old, McClean is looking as fit as ever, as he often showcases on his Instagram account.
McClean often posts clips of him boxing and there’s been lingering rumours that McClean could fight Jake Paul one day, with the Wrexham man having already thrown his hat in the ring.
Posting earlier in the summer, McClean said he could be open to fighting Paul, who counts the likes of Mike Tyson and UFC star Nate Diaz among his previous opponents.
Wrexham star James McClean has been hard at work this summer
Amid the ongoing Paul rumours and ahead of Wrexham’s 2025/26 season in the Championship, McClean has been keeping fit. Asked by the club what he’s been up to this summer, the former West Brom and Stoke City man revealed how he’s had a ‘great summer training camp’.
Wrexham fans who follow the Irishman on Instagram will have seen the boxing footage that he often uploads and it could well be interpreted as McClean readying himself for a career in the ring when he eventually hangs his boots up. When that might be remains to be seen, but McClean is among the Wrexham players out of contract in 2026.
Last season, McClean played a starring role as the Dragons earned promotion to the Championship, featuring 42 times in League One whilst scoring four goals and assisting seven more.
What Ryan Reynolds said about a possible James McClean vs Jake Paul fight
With Wrexham having a growing US audience, a potential matchup between McClean and Paul could certainly sell some tickets and some pay-per-views.
For the time being though, McClean is focused on Wrexham, and co-owner Ryan Reynolds doesn’t think Parkinson would be overly-keen on McClean fighting Paul during the 2025/26 season.
Speaking earlier this year, Reynolds gave his verdict on McClean vs Paul, saying: “The problem is Phil, right. Phil would be like, ‘You want to send my player in to get in a fight to fight this guy’.”
It’s clear that McClean has a passion for boxing though, and it might be safe to assume that he’s training for some kind of competitive event in the sport, one day in the future, given how much he trains.
For now though, he’ll be hoping his summer training camp serves him well in the pre-season and in the Championship next season.