Jake Paul has marked the third victory of his boxing career as his much-anticipating bout against former mixed martial artist Ben Askren ended in Paul knocking out Askren right in the first round.
The fight, which was held at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, marked Askren’s debut as a boxer since the former Bellator and ONE Championship titleholder bid adieu to MMA in November 2019.
Coming off of a win over fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib, followed by the much-discussed KO of former NBA star Nate Robinson, Jake Paul aimed to keep his undefeated record as a pugilist clean and was even picked as a favourite against Askren by many.
Jake Paul clips Ben Askren with a right hand a minute remaining in the first round
Soon as the fight started, Paul aimed to make the first connection but Askren rushed with an overhand right to Paul, who returned a left hook at first then missed a right.
However, the 24-year-old followed up with a remarkable one-town, and it was his brutal right-hand jab that sent Askren to the canvas.
Askren got up on shaky legs, and while Paul wanted to go on with the fight, the referee called a stop to the contest with a minute remaining of the first round.
“This is the craziest moment of my life,” a spirited Paul said after his third boxing victory, “I told y’all I was gonna do it in the first round. I told y’all I’m a real fighter.”
“I don’t know how many times I’ve got to prove myself that this is for real.” (H/T The Sun)
(more to come)
