Courtesy: Bad Left Hook
Jake Paul’s next opponent is a close friend of his previous fight, Ben Askren. The YouTube sensation and former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley has committed to a boxing battle. Paul is coming off a first-round knockout victory over another former UFC fighter, Ben Askren. The fight was overwhelmingly one-sided, with Paul out-striking the former Bellator champion. Woodley is well aware of this, having been in Askren’s corner during the bout.
The fight is anticipated to be made official later this week with a press conference in which Paul and Woodley will square off for the first time. The fight’s date and location will also be disclosed at that time.
Woodley has been volunteering to battle Paul in the boxing ring since leaving the UFC at the end of his most recent contract. Woodley left the UFC on a four-fight losing streak despite being widely considered one of the best welterweight champions in the promotion’s history.
In terms of Paul, the usually outspoken social influencer presently has a perfect 3-0 boxing record, with all three fights ending in knockouts, including the clash against Askren and his earlier showdown against ex-NBA star Nate Robinson.
Woodley previously spoke about his expectations for the Askren fight, and it’s not hard to see this as an indication of how he expects himself to fare:
“[Paul] thought he picked Ben because Ben wasn’t really known for his striking prowess in MMA as more for his grinding, his cardio, his ability to submission, his ground and pound, his wrestling, his aggressiveness. He wasn’t really known for the boxing aspect of the sport. So, he [Jake Paul] probably thought it was an easy pick to go get that fight. But Ben’s Ben, swung at by all the world champion boxers and kickboxers.”
“He has sparred with those guys, he has been at the highest level. He has been with the guys that are Olympians, he has been with the NCAA champions, he has been with the top of the top, fighting against the world champions and been a world champion. So, you can’t compare that experience. You can’t compare the ability to be calm in a storm at a big, big, big event.”
Sources: Jake Paul and former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley have agreed to a deal for a boxing match. Jake recently signed a multi-fight deal with Showtime. Friday face-off in Miami planned to promote the event. Paul coming off first-round KO of Ben Askren
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) May 31, 2021