Despite all the trash talk, Jake Paul still respects Ben Askren and his credentials.
Paul will meet Askren in a professional boxing match in an event that takes place April 17 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
For Paul, it will be his third professional boxing fight as he will look to remain undefeated by getting past Askren. For Askren, meanwhile, it will be the former UFC welterweight’s first foray into the boxing world.
Trash talk between the pair has been rampant as expected with things even getting slightly physical during their faceoff on Friday. And while Paul has continued to downplay Askren as a fighter, he still seemingly respects him as one.
Paul: Askren Win Gives Me Credibility
After all, the popular YouTuber is viewing the fight with “Funky” as the biggest moment of his life.
Additionally, Paul feels a win over the former Bellator champion would also give him plenty of credibility in his new field.
“It is the biggest moment of my life and it gives me a ton of credibility,” Paul said. “People are saying, ‘he’s not a boxer, he’s a wrestler.’ But do somehow people forget that I’m a Disney channel, YouTube, actor? Like why am I the favorite? if the boxing community doesn’t consider Jake Paul a boxer, how can they make the excuse for Ben that he isn’t a striker?
“… But it’ll be a lot of credibility. Again, if he can make it past a couple of rounds, it will truly show the boxing community that this kid can actually box and I think people will respect that. Because I’ve been putting in the work, training with world champions, sparring with world champions and it’s going to show April 17.”
It would undoubtedly be the most impressive moment of Paul’s boxing career by far.
