YouTube boxer Jake Paul is set to face former MMA standout Ben Askren in a boxing match on April 17, which will air on pay-per-view and does have some intrigue for what it is, the way a direct to video action movie can be kind of fun even if nobody’s going to confuse it for Citizen Kane or whatever.
Paul, who is 2-0 in boxing with wins over fellow YouTube AnEsonGib and former NBA player Nate Robinson, neither of whom had a clue what they were doing in the ring, is certain that he will add Askren to his list of wins.
“These MMA guys, just ‘cause they throw punches, doesn’t mean they can box. This is why I’m so confident in my ability to destroy these guys,” Paul told ESPN. “They have no head movement, they’re slow, they aren’t going to the gym every day and boxing. They’re throwing elbows, kicks, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, the list goes on. Boxing is an art. MMA is a brawl.”
Well, sounds like a fascinating bunch of people to face in boxing matches.
On paper, this will be a sincere test of Paul’s actual ability as a boxer and as a fighter; Askren is no boxer, but he is a professional fighter with any training in boxing at all, which is a big step up from prior Paul opponents. If Paul can actually box much — like, actually, not against people who straight up don’t know what they’re doing — then yeah, he really probably should beat Askren.