Ben Askren and Jake Paul will do away with the words and don the boxing gloves when the two face off on April 17.
Following Jake Paul’s knockout of former NBA star Nate Robinson last November, there was a Jake Paul Sweepstakes to see whom the YouTuber would fight next. Most of the attention from Paul was geared towards MMA Fighters, both active and retired. Some of the names Paul called out were Conor McGregor, Dillon Danis, Henry Cejudo, and Ben Askren.
Ben Askren was quite vocal in accepting the fight against Paul at the end of 2020, but there was no word on if and when the boxing match would actually happen. Following an ESPN report Tuesday, Jake Paul took to social media to announce the bout himself via a lengthy statement:
“It’s official. Representing the UFC, Mr. Napoleon Dynamite look-alike Ben Askren finally accepted the fight. He is a two-time NCAA champion, a world champion in two different global mixed martial arts organizations and has less losses on his record than Conor McGregor, yet, I’m still going to knock him out faster than Masvidal did.
“Some guys think because they throw punches they know how to box. I shocked the world when I [knocked out] an NBA superstar athlete, but some people still complained that he’s not a real fighter. So now I’m giving the people what they want by taking on a real fighter. After I add Ben to my knockout meme collection, what can anybody say? April 17th. 82 days. The countdown starts now. Be ready.”
Ben Askren would promptly respond to Jake Paul’s statement, stating that it’s cute that Paul believes he is a real fighter.
Jake Paul is 2-0 as a boxer, but this will be his first time facing an actual fighter. It is certainly a fair fight, though, because Askren has never competed in boxing before and is known almost exclusively for his grappling skills in mixed martial arts.
Coincidentally, this fight will be taking place on the same day as the recently announced middleweight bout between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa, so fans of combat sports will have their share of options on April 17.
Who do you think will win between Ben Askren and Jake Paul on April 17?
