Youtuber Jake Paul (2-0, 2 KOs) will be taking a slight step up in competition this Saturday against former UFC fighter Ben Askren in an eight-round fight on Triller PPV from the Paul Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia.
In a video leaked of Askren’s sparring for the fight, it’s clear that he’s going to be attempting to smother Jake the entire eight-round fight. Askren’s fighting style is similar to boxer Shawn Porter but more physical.
In the sparing, you could Askren shoving and throwing forearms/elbows. At one point, Askren threw his sparring partner to the canvas using a grappling move.
It’s understandable why Askren would smother Paul by staying close. He can’t afford to let the 24-year-old get leverage on his shots because he hits too hard. Askren doesn’t have a lot of power on his own shots, as I can tell.
The lack of power means that Askren will need to smother Jake not to get knocked out for the entire fight. He’s going to get destroyed by Jake if he gives him any daylight to land his shots.
The fight card is selling for $50 on Triller PPV. In the undercard, former WBA light welterweight champion Regis Prograis takes on Ivan Redkach in a 10 round fight.
Paul, 24, has surprisingly built up a reputation for being a good boxer despite two fights as a pro consisting of another YouTuber AnEsonGib and former NBA player Nate Robinson.
Those aren’t fighters, so it’s not surprising that Paul was able to blast them out so quickly. You can call Askren a legitimate fighter, but his boxing ability is too crude and unrefined for him to have a chance of winning without resorting to fouling.
Jake last fought in November, stopping Robinson in the second round with an impressive highlight-reel knockout.
If Askren looked better in his sparring video, I could give him a chance to at least go the full eight-round distance. I don’t see that happening. There are no words to describe how bad Askren looked in his sparring video. He looks like he’s going to fail miserably on Saturday night and wind up getting knocked out like Robinson.
“This is boxing versus MMA, and you’re going to see the difference,” Paul said. “You’re going to see the difference between a wanna-be fighter, a guy who choked in the Olympics, a guy who choked in the UFC, and now a guy who is going to choke against Jake Paul. I’m going to end this guy’s career.”
You can’t fault Askren for getting beaten in the Olympics as a wrestler. He reached the high level of amateur wrestling and beat a ton of outstanding wrestlers.
If this fight on a wrestling mat, Asken would pin Jake within seconds. Jake wouldn’t have a chance against Askren in the octagon because he couldn’t deal with his grappling skills. An Olympic wrestler going up against a Youtuber with decent but not great boxing skills.
Askren would grab Jake. It would be all over. But this is boxing, and Askren looks godawful bad. I can’t see him lasting for more than a couple of rounds. It won’t surprise me if Asken is disqualified for fouling if he starts throwing elbows and tackling Jake.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G92QaW45kQ