Jake Paul Buys $39 Million Historic Georgia Ranch

YouTube star-turned-boxer Jake Paul used his earnings from his November fight with Mike Tyson to buy the one thing he says he has wanted for a long time: the keys to one of Georgia’s best sporting ranches. Just announced, Jake bought the sprawling Southlands Plantation, a legendary 5,746-acre sporting estate in Decatur County, Georgia. According to the listing agency, it is one of the most expensive private land sales in Georgia's history. It was listed for $42.5 million and sold for $39 million. The sale was brokered by Jon Kohler & Associates (co-listed with Walter Hatchett). Kohler described Southlands as "the land ownership equivalent to owning an NFL team." Kohler added, “With 4.5 miles of Lake Seminole frontage, this is a once-in-a-lifetime investment for the ultimate sportsman’s retreat.”

The Tyson vs. Paul fight, which took place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas—the home of the Dallas Cowboys—drew many celebrities, including Jerry Jones, Evander Holyfield, Shaquille O'Neal, Rob Gronkowski, Charlize Theron, Rosie Perez, and Cedric the Entertainer. It was streamed on Netflix to about 60 million viewers. Jake reportedly earned about $40 million for his win, while Tyson made about $20 million.

Paul disclosed his post-fight ranch investment during an appearance on "The Iced Coffee Hour" podcast. Paul said, “I’ve been wanting to buy a ranch for the past 15 years.” He explained that owning a ranch has been his dream and the reason he works so hard. I think it’s just I love everything to do with it: hunting, jet skiing, ATVs, fishing, horses, cows, and all that stuff.” “It cost $39 million… It’s massive. It’s a little bit bigger than I wanted, but when I got there, I was like, ‘I have to buy this’.”

Standing at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Southlands Plantation includes a 30-acre duck pond, 20-acre Eagle Lake, and five miles of spring creeks. Famous for its wild quail and turkey and trophy white-tail deer, it began as a 26,000-acre ranch assembled by Herbert Stoddard, the “father of prescribed burning.” In 1937, Houghton Metcalf, a wealthy industrialist from Rhode Island, purchased the rights from Stoddard and built his lodge on the 200-foot bluff overlooking what is now Lake Seminole. Metcalf turned Southlands into a world-class sportsman's ranch, and the ranch was later acquired by International Paper to use as a teaching forest. Famous as the Southlands Experiment Forest, it was the flagship property of International Paper’s 12 million-acre land collection. According to the Southlands Plantation property listing, “Few, if any, places have the ecological diversity of this one property. In fact, there is even a book making a case that this area was the original Garden of Eden.”

In addition to the acres of trees, fertile farmland soils, and lakes, Southlands Plantation also includes a 4,884-square-foot, 8-bedroom, 5.5-bathroom lodge with gorgeous views of Lake Seminole, a 2,696-square-foot manager’s house, several more guest homes, an 1,800-square-foot horse barn, and a dog kennel. The ranch is located near Bainbridge, Georgia, a small town that is thriving with a growing population of almost 15,000 people. It was named the ‘2024 Georgia Downtown of the Year' by the Georgia Downtown Association.

The sale was brokered by Jon Kohler & Associates (co-listed with Walter Hatchett). Kohler described Southlands as "the land ownership equivalent to owning an NFL team." Kohler added, “With 4.5 miles of Lake Seminole frontage, this is a once-in-a-lifetime investment for the ultimate sportsman’s retreat.”

Jake was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and began posting his videos of pranks, dares, and stunts when he was just 16. The videos particularly target young males and has paid off well for Jake, who has over 20 million YouTube subscribers, collecting billions of video views. He began his boxing career in 2018 and has won 11 of his 12 matches. His victory over Tyson was a unanimous decision.

Since the Tyson fight, Jake has been focused on his boxing career and a possible move to MMA. He has been more involved in business ventures, including his Most Valuable Promotions company. And he's continued his YouTube content creation, but less frequently since pursuing the boxing career. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Jake is worth about $100 million.

With his Tyson win in the books, Paul’s next boxing match is this Saturday against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., who was the WBC middleweight champion from 2011 to 2012. He is the son of former three-division world champion of boxing, Julio César Chávez. According to the boxing odds at FanDuel Sportsbook, Paul is a heavy favorite over Chavez Jr.

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