Very different faces of fighting
Eyes are on bout pitting Olympian against influencer
Ben Askren believes Saturday’s bizarre boxing match against a social media influencer at Mercedes-benz Stadium in Atlanta is simple to break down.
“I’m a world-class athlete, and he’s Jake Paul,” Askren said at a Thursday news conference promoting the eight-round cruiserweight spectacle.
It’s an unlikely pairing for what one local sportsbook director called by far the most compelling boxing matchup for bettors that will take place in the first half of 2021.
Askren is an Olympian, a four-time All-america wrestler and a two-time national champion from Missouri who also held MMA world titles in Bellator and ONE Fighting Championship, though he never has been known as much of a striker.
Paul has 20 million followers on Youtube, even if few people over the age of 25 could name what he does in those videos.
He took an amateur boxing bout against a fellow Youtuber in 2018 and caught the bug, announcing he would embark on a professional career after winning the fight by TKO.
Paul since has defeated another Youtube star and
former NBA player Nate Robinson to set up this payper-view headlining bout with Askren through the Triller promotion.
The 6 p.m. event should have enough show for social media viewers and enough competition for sports fans.
Comedian and “Saturday Night Live” star Pete Davidson, model Taylor Hill and television personality Mario Lopez will be a part of the commentary team for the $49.99 pay-per-view broadcast, which also includes former UFC heavyweight champion and Las Vegan Frank Mir boxing Steve Cunningham.
Musical performances are expected to be done
by Justin Bieber, The Black Keys, Doja Cat and Saweetie, Diplo, Major Lazer and Mt. Westmore, a hip-hop group featuring Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Too $hort and E-40.
But Paul wants to make clear he’s a real boxer.
“I see myself as an elite fighter right now,” he said. “A young prospect with a lot of motivation and hunger. I think people see me as a (expletive) amateur. There’s sort of a big gap in between where the audience thinks I’m at and where I’m actually at. I’m excited to show my abilities again on Saturday against a world-class fighter.”
Askren wouldn’t put himself on that lofty a pedestal, buthehasputinasmuch work as he could in the just under three months he’s been preparing. When sparring footage of him surfaced a couple of months ago, commentators all over the internet mocked his skills and predicted an early win for Paul.
Then came a new video of Askren this week.
“You saw it,” he said. “There’s millions of views. Read the comments. My premise is I understand I suck at (boxing), but I also understand I’m a worldclass athlete despite the fact I don’t look like it. Don’t judge a book by its cover. And I’m a world-class learner. Give me 11 weeks trying this, and of course I’ll be way better.”
He’s already well-versed in at least one aspect of the fight game: Eyeballs pay more than skills.
“Somebody was telling me the other day about a great baseball player that doesn’t have much of a social media presence, and I was like, ‘Who the hell cares? If he plays well and hits a lot of home runs, he’ll get paid a lot of money,’” Askren said.
“That’s true with a lot of sports, but in MMA and boxing and whatever the (expletive) we’re doing this weekend, it’s just not true. If you can bring a bunch of viewers, they’re going to pay you a bunch of money.”