ATLANTA – [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] lived up to his promise and proved to be superior to [autotag]Ben Askren[/autotag] in their boxing match Saturday.
After much anticipation, Paul and Askren finally stepped into the ring to trade blows. It was one-way action, though, with Paul winning by first-round TKO at the 1:59 mark after the referee ruled Askren unable to continue, despite answering the count following a knockdown.
The cruiserweight bout (190 pounds) headlined the Triller Fight Club event at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The main card aired on pay-per-view.
Paul, the YouTuber, actor and rapper, made his boxing debut in January 2020 with a first-round TKO of fellow YouTuber Ali Eson Gib. His second fight came in November, when he beat former NBA player and Slam Dunk champion Nate Robinson with a knockout that went viral.
Now he adds Askren’s name to his resume, and he said the next challenge will be a sterner one as he looks to further add to his resume.
Askren, meanwhile, is likely done in the fight game.
After suffering back-to-back losses to Jorge Masvidal and Demian Maia under the UFC banner, Askren retired from competition in November 2019. He subsequently underwent hip replacement surgery, and that seemingly put a bow on his time in the fight game.
More than a year later, however, the opportunity to box Paul arose, and he opted to have at it. The result didn’t go his way, and the 36-year-old may now be done for good.
Complete Triller Fight Club results included:
- Jake Paul def. Ben Askren via TKO – Round 1, 1:59
- Regis Prograis def. Ivan Redkach via technical decision (60-54, 60-54, 59-54)
- Steve Cunningham def. Frank Mir via unanimous decision (60-54, 60-54, 58-56)
- Joe Fournier def. Reykon via TKO (did not answer bell) – Round 3, 3:00
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