Jake Paul says he ignored his coach's advice because he wanted to knock Ben Askren out so badly
Jake Paul says he ignored his coach's advice to take things slow because he wanted to knock Ben Askren out so badly.
The creator finished the former MMA champion in the first round of their cruiserweight match Saturday, in a boxing rules contest that topped a Triller Fight Club event in Atlanta.
Though Askren took great fighting experience into the ring as an ex-UFC champion, he has never been renowned for his striking skills.
His boxing debut was one to forget as Paul clubbed him to the floor before the two minute mark.
According to Paul, his trainer did not want him to load up on shots but when he felt like he could finish the fight early, he thought, 'To hell with the strategy,' and let his fists fly instead.
"I set him up for sure," Paul told reporters at post-event press conference.
"I was going to the body the whole fight," Paul said of the game-plan having landed nine out of 26 punches attempted, according to Compubox data sent to Insider. Four of Paul's landed punches hit Askren's body, the statistician said.
"I was setting him up the whole time [and] saving the right hand for that moment," he said. "I knew he wouldn't see it coming.
"My coach in the corner was like, 'Don't load up, don't load up!' That's what he told me the whole camp. But I was like, this guy is a joker. I'm loading up right now coach, sorry."
It is unclear what Paul's next move in combat sports will be
When Insider spoke to Paul last year, it was clear his end goal was a boxing rules bout with Conor McGregor. He even called the Irishman "washed-up."
McGregor has been loathe to entertain Paul's barbs, but conceded in January that he's "certainly a viewer" of his and that he does not think what he does makes a mockery of the sport.
Days later, the former two-weight UFC champion said Paul acts like "a confused little kid."
Paul does not want to be the greatest boxer of all time. He said as much to Insider in an interview. What he does want, however, is to become a successful prizefighter.
This means he is looking to secure the most lucrative events he can book when it comes to the box office, rather than the most legitimate of challenges.
In a tweet posted at the weekend, Paul claimed the Askren event registered 1.3 million pay-per-view buys.
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) April 18, 2021
Pay-per-view sales tend not to be tabulated so quickly, and though Paul's claim has not been independently verified, there is no denying he is an attraction in showbiz boxing.
Paul will likely continue to troll MMA's best-known names, including McGregor. But even he acknowledges he does not know who he will face next.
"I've been going for 14 months, fighting three times," he said. "I talked a lot of s---. I don't know what's next. I'm just going to enjoy my life for a second."
????Jake Paul is now the 655th-ranked cruiserweight out of 1,030 pros, according to Boxrec.#Boxing pic.twitter.com/3qgx9LPxGG
— Al Dawson (@AlanDawsonSport) April 18, 2021
On McGregor specifically, Paul told MMA Junkie: "There are a lot of people. But honestly, when it comes down to signing the contract, these guys duck. Honestly, we'll see.
"The McGregor fight just became more realistic, like I've been saying. I just want to do big fights.
"We'll see who the next big challenge is. I don't want to take some bulls--- s---. I want to challenge myself. I want to do 3 million, 4 million pay-per-view buys. Who's going to bring in those numbers?"