Well, Jake Paul (2-0) has his next boxing match set. Paul has been calling out MMA fighters and challenging them to box and it looks like he’s found a willing competitor. Per ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, Paul will be boxing Ben Askren (19-2, 1 NC in MMA).
The boxing match will take place on April 17th. The match will actually go head-to-head with a UFC fight night that is being headlined by a middleweight clash between Paulo Costa and Robert Whittaker.Â
Jake Paul has been saying for the last couple of months that he wanted a boxing match with an MMA fighter. He’s been very vocal about his desire to take on the former UFC two-division champion, Conor McGregor.
However, discussions with the McGregor camp were never serious. McGregor just competed and lost to Dustin Poirier last Saturday at UFC 257. McGregor seems to be putting boxing on the backburner for now to focus on MMA.
However, Ben Askren is willing to jump in there to represent MMA. The former world champion mixed martial artist has been retired for the last year and a half after losing to Demian Maia back in October of 2019.
MMA vs Boxing?
There were plenty of MMA fighters that were vocal about their desire to step into the boxing ring with Jake Paul. Michael Bisping being one of those fighters, however, it’s Askren that will make the walk on April 17th.
I have to say, this is the easiest fight Paul could have taken against an MMA fighter. Ben Askren is not a good striker at all. Or at least he’s never shown the ability to be a good striker in a MMA fight.
Askren is known for his incredible wrestling and his strength. Those are not going to be tools he can use in a boxing match with Jake Paul. I would have to imagine that Paul would be the better favorite when the two meet up in April.
Again, Jake Paul has been calling out MMA fighters, but he hasn’t fought anyone yet. His two boxing wins are against another YouTube celebrity and a former NBA player. Askren is his toughest test yet, but it’s still not that great of a test. Should be an interesting match when the two meet up.