Jake Paul Knocks Out Ben Askren... Who Cares?

 

I used to defend Jake Paul; when he fought Nate Robinson, people didn't realize that Paul was training consistently and was taking boxing relatively seriously. Nate Robinson, on the other hand, did literally no preparation and expected to be able to walk into the ring and knockout Paul because... he's on YouTube? The end result, of course, was Nate Robinson laying unconscious on the campus with Paul celebrating. Have we heard from Nate since, by the way? What's he up to?

When they announced Paul's next opponent was Ben Askren, it felt ridiculous right off the bat. The one thing that Ben can do well is talk trash; there is no doubt his inclusion caused a bit more buzz than usual. However, off the rip, it was blatant was what going on. Askren, albeit a MMA fighter, is known as having one of the worst stand up games in all of the sport, even when he was a champion in ONE and Bellator. He dominated his opponents with his wrestling; he is an Olympian and a two time NCAA national champion. He did have a few TKO victories from ground strikes, but he never actually knocked out a guy. He won a majority of his matches via decision or by submission. In other words, Askren is arguably the last MMA fighter you would expect to agree to a boxing match.

I do not blame Askren for taking this fight; he was paid $500k, which is more he's ever made in an MMA fight. In the weeks leading up to the fight, Askren garner more and more promotional opportunities, making the most of the limelight. In my opinion, Ben was in Jake Paul's head as well. Paul notoriously "punched" Askren in the ribs after Ben pushed him away during a face-off. Regardless of result, Ben and Jake did a great job of promoting the fight.

I will fully admit that by last night, I had talked myself into Askren winning. I wasn't expecting a knockout, but I figured Askren would be able to employ some dirty boxing tactics; get into Jake's face and slow him down by leaning on him. Paul has not had a real boxing match, and there was serious questions regarding his gas tank. I thought Paul may gas out after the first few rounds, and Askren's superior stamina could take over. I realize Paul has had boxing training, but he first fought another YouTuber, and then he fought Nate Robinson. Ben was a step up in that he is a combat athlete, and he took some big shots from Robbie Lawler, one of the hardest hitters in UFC, and lived to tell the tale (he won a controversial fight from a bulldog choke).

I will admit that I did NOT buy the fight last night; in hindsight this was a great decision. There were three fights that were, quite frankly, boring. Frank Mir fought, and that was cool, but he lost. The fight before Askren vs. Paul ended when one of the guys faked a nut shot. It was clear as day that he got punched in the stomach... embarrassing. In between each fight was a concert or two; we had SaWeetie (who?), Snoop Dogg, and Justin Bieber all performing in pre-taped segments. It was not needed in any way, and it bogged down the show. 

After half of the national anthem, we finally got to the fight. As soon as I saw Askren's stance, I lost any and all faith in him. His hands were high, but he looked so uncomfortable. Askren did try and clinch Paul against the ropes a few times, but it didn't do much. Paul started to connect with a few straights, before setting up a nice 1-2 that sent Ben down. He clipped Ben on the top of his head. Ben got up and bounced off of the ropes - the ref asked him to walk forward, but didn't like what he saw and called it. I'm sure it would have just delayed the inevitable, but I felt it was a bit of a premature stoppage. Ben seemed within himself, but I am in no place to criticize a referee; I am not in the ring with them. There were some clamoring that the fight was fixed, and I can see that,  but the way Ben landed, it seemed genuine.

--

While I cleansed my palette from the Paul vs. Askren fight with the UFC Fight Night main event between Gastelum and Whittaker, it became a bit more obvious to me just who these events are catered towards. Snoop Dogg, Mario Lopez, and Pete Davidson (who was hilarious, by the way) were the notable announcers. The D'Amelio sisters presented an awful looking championship belt to each of the winners of the fights. As I mentioned, there were at least three or maybe four concerts that took up much of the PPV time. It's made for casual fans of Jake Paul and this breed of internet celebrities. I know there is also a YouTube vs. TikTok boxing card that is in the works and on the horizon. I'm not sure if this is indicative of boxing on the whole, but it's not a great look regardless.

In terms of the actual fight, it did little to sway my opinion of Jake Paul as a boxer. He fought and beat a UFC fighter who is not a boxer; not every UFC fighter is a great boxer, and that was the initial point of the original concept of MMA. What "style" is superior? That's why during the fighter introductions, they are refer the fighting style, such as freestyle fighter, etc. This fight is not indicative of if someone in the UFC can beat a boxer. I think Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather is a better example. In terms of Jake Paul specifically, it did nothing to help me gauge his skill level as a boxer. It is apparent that he has more boxing training and boxing intuitiveness than Askren, but what exactly does that mean?

I think Jake Paul's next move HAS to be another boxer. I'm not saying it's time to fight Canelo, but I saw that Tyson Fury's half-brother, Mason Fury, threw his name into consideration. I think that is perfect; two young guys at the start of their boxing careers and an opponent for Paul that is actually a boxer. If he wants to continue down the sideshow route, maybe someone like Tyron Woodley, who is a friend of Askren and was calling out Paul on Twitter shortly after the fight, could be a viable opponent.

After the fight, Jake Paul crowned himself as "the future of boxing". You can interpret that one of two ways. First, is he saying this event is the future of boxing? Whatever this PPV was, with the concerts and the borderline amateur fighting, it is not a good indication of boxing being a healthy sport. It's a bit of a punch in the face to guys like Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, who are some of the most elite boxers we have seen in some time, and with an international spotlight to boot. Those are the guys you want as the face of boxing, not Jake Paul. 

On the other hand, if Jake Paul says that he is the future of boxing, it is time for him to take this seriously. Like the headline says... who cares that he beat Ben Askren? Hats off to Ben to getting in there, but he is not a boxer. To be the future of boxing, you need to box... a boxer! I think the next fight that Paul takes will clarify his true intentions. If he takes a fight with a boxer, I am going to be intrigued, because we will finally get the answer on his actual boxing ability. However, if it's announced he is fighting another non-boxer, I'm not going to go out of my way to tune in. By taking a fight with a guy like Askren, or Nate Robinson, he is admitting this entire "boxing career" is just a show they are putting on to make money and to strengthen his brand. Even if that is the case, I can't really knock Jake, as I know he is making some good money from doing this, but do not try and demand "respect" if you're unwilling to fight someone other than a washed up MMA fighter. Until he fights a boxer... who cares?