Jake Paul boxing former UFC fighter Ben Askren in April PPV
YouTube star and pay-per-view draw Jake Paul’s boxing career will continue against an unlikely foe as he will face former UFC fighter and former Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren as the headliner for an April 17th pay-per-view.
The two have been talking on social media about a fight since December, but it was made official Tuesday. It will be an eight round bout promoted by Triller, the same group that put on the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. exhibition PPV. Both men will wear eight ounce gloves and fight in a 20×20 ring with the location still TBA.
The 36-year-old Askren (19-2-0-1) hasn’t fought since retiring from the UFC after an October 2019 loss to Demian Maia. Despite a background that includes a dominant amateur wrestling run, he wasn’t known for his knockout skills throughout his ten-year MMA career.
Paul (2-0) is coming off a knockout of former NBA player Nate Robinson in the co-main event of the Tyson/Jones event and another YouTube star before that. His brother, Logan, was supposed to compete in an exhibition fight against Floyd Mayweather in February, but it’s reportedly being moved to a different date.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.