Tag: Andre August

Fight Week: ‘Bam’ Rodriguez vs. Sunny Edwards, David Morrell, Jake Paul next up

Fight Week: ‘Bam’ Rodriguez vs. Sunny Edwards highlights a busy weekend that also includes David Morrell and Jake Paul in separate fights.

FIGHT WEEK

The little men will take center stage when Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez and Sunny Edwards face off Saturday in Arizona. On the same day, in Minneapolis, top 168-pound contender David Morrell will face Sena Agbeko. And Jake Paul returns to the ring on Friday.

JESSE “BAM” RODRIGUEZ (18-0, 11 KOs)
vs. SUNNY EDWARDS (20-0, 4 KOs)

  • Date: Saturday, Dec. 16
  • Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, Arizona
  • TV/Stream: DAZN
  • Division: Flyweight (112 pounds)
  • At stake: Edwards’ IBF and Rodriguez’s WBO titles
  • Odds: Rodriguez 2-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Murodjon Akhmadaliev vs. Kevin Gonzalez, junior featherweights; Galal Yafai vs. Rocco Santomauro, flyweights; Peter McGrail vs. Ja’Rico O’Quinn, junior featherweights
  • Prediction: Rodriguez UD
  • Background: Rodriguez and Edwards will face off in a battle of skillful, unbeaten little men who are on the precipice of stardom. Rodriguez, a 23-year-old from San Antonio, made a splash when he outpointed veteran Carlos Cuadras to win a vacant 115-pound title and knocked out rugged, experienced Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in eight rounds in his first defense last year. He defended one more time before moving down to 112 pounds, at which he easily outpointed Cristian Gonzalez to win a major belt and become a two-division champ. Edwards is a light puncher but that hasn’t prevented him from dominating his opponents. The 27-year-old from London took Moruti Mthalane’s 112-pound title by a one-sided decision in 2021 and has successfully defended four times. He’s coming off a unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Andres Campos on June 10. Edwards will be making his U.S. debut.

 

DAVID MORRELL (9-0, 8 KOs)
vs. SENA AGBEKO (28-2, 22, KOs)

  • Date: Saturday, Dec. 16
  • Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: The Armory, Minneapolis
  • TV/Stream: Showtime
  • Division: Super middleweight (168 pounds)
  • At stake: No major titles
  • Odds: Morrell 9-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Julio Cesar Martinez vs. Angelino Cordova, flyweights (for Martinez’s WBC title); Chris Colbert vs. Jose Valenzuela, lightweights; Kenneth Sims Jr. vs. Alfredo Santiago, junior welterweights
  • Prediction: Morrell KO 8
  • Background: Morrell, the gifted product of the Cuban amateur system, has been pushing for a showdown with fellow contender David Benavidez and other big-time fights. And those events will come if he continues to dominate opponents. The 25-year-old southpaw has knocked out eight of his nine foes – including Yamaguchi Falcao in the first round in April – and has barely lost a round in his fast-tracked professional career. He’s a significant favorite to beat Agbeko. The 31-year-old Ghanaian has won five consecutive fights (four by knockout) since he lost a near-shutout decision against Vladimir Shishkin in 2021. His most recent fight was on Oct. 14, when he stopped journeyman Bruno Leonardo Romay in two rounds. However, Morrell is a significant step up in opposition for him. Agbeko lives in Nashville.

 

JAKE PAUL (7-1, 4 KOs)
vs. ANDRE AUGUST (10-1-1, 5 KOs)

  • Date: Friday, Dec. 15
  • Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Caribe Royale Orlando, Orlando, Florida
  • TV/Stream: DAZN
  • Division: Cruiserweight (200 pounds)
  • At stake: No major titles
  • Odds: Paul 5-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Shadasia Green vs. Franchon Crews-Dezurn, super middleweights (for vacant WBC title); Yoenis Tellez vs. Livan Navarro, junior middleweights
  • Prediction: Paul SD
  • Background: Paul still has dreams of winning a world title. To do that he’ll have to gain experience against actual boxers, not fellow YouTubers or MMA stars. That’s where Andre August comes in. The 35-year-old Texan will be only the second boxer Paul, 26, has faced, following his split decision loss to Tommy Fury this past February. Paul bounced back from his first setback by easily outpointing MMA fighter Nate Diaz in August. August probably is no better than Fury was. He has won five consecutive fights since he was stopped by journeyman Eric Abraham in 2018 but he has faced no one of note and has taken part only in four- and six-rounders. The fight on Friday is set for eight rounds.

 

ALSO FIGHTING THIS WEEK

WEDNESDAY

  • Batyrzhan Jukembayev vs. Mohamed Mimoune, junior welterweights, Plant City, Florida (PorBox TV)

THURSDAY

  • Jose Sanchez vs. Walter Santibanes, junior featherweights, Indio, California (DAZN)
  • Kubrat Pulev vs. Andrzej Wawrzyk, heavyweights, Costa Mesa, California (FITE)

SATURDAY

  • Sam Goodman vs. Zhong Liu, junior featherweights, Sydney, Australia (No TV in U.S.)
  • Francesco Grandelli vs. Stefan Voda, featherweights, Turin, Italy (ESPN+)
  • Tsendbaatar Erdenebat vs. Yohan Vasquez, junior lightweights, New York (BoxingInsider)
  • Yesica Nery Plata vs. Sarah Bormann, junior flyweights (for Plata’s WBA and WBC titles), Karlsruhe, Germany (no TV in U.S.)

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Jake Paul says Andre August fight helps build experience: ‘This is my road to becoming a world champion’

Jake Paul turns a page in his boxing career as he continues to try and defy the odds.

[autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] is turning a page in his boxing career as he tries to defy the odds.

Paul (7-1) faces [autotag]Andre August[/autotag] (10-1-1) in an eight-round cruiserweight bout Dec. 15 at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Fla. The fight headlines MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects 4 and will be offered as part of the standard DAZN subscription package.

Paul has put fighting MMA stars behind him and is now targeting professional boxers. He sees August as a right step towards that direction.

“This is my road to becoming a world champion,” Paul told MMA Junkie. “When I’ve said that and uttered those words, I think people took it as a joke or, ‘He’s just saying that to market himself or make himself a bigger fighter or ruffle feathers and get media headlines and stuff,’ but they didn’t actually think I was being serious. I’m dead serious. That is what I’m going to do and this is the step in that direction.

“We’ve done the big pay-per-views. We’ve generated $200 million in sales, and this is now taking a step back from like business, and MMA fighters, and big names, to just grow my experience, to stay sharp, to elevate my level of opposition and to fight real pro boxers who have been doing this their whole life. He’s more experienced than me, (has) more knockouts than me, (is) 10-1, a beast, and he’s going to come to fight.”

“The Problem Child” lacks in experience as he pursues gold, but the 26-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer thinks his athleticism can carry him until his experience catches up.

“I think I could do it quickly because of my focus, my dedication, and my athleticism,” Paul said. “It turns out I’m more athletic than 99.9 percent of boxers in terms of running, jumping, weight lifting, squatting, punching power. But, what I don’t have that they have is the decades of experience.

“So, I’m on like this crash course to get all of those things, but it’s backed by this extreme athleticism. No boxer that has ever come to camp has beaten me in a jog, beaten me in a sprint, beaten me on the bench press, beaten me on the squats. So, that I have to my advantage, and I think I can get there in two to three years.”

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Jake Paul claps back at haters criticizing next opponent: ‘Boxer true and true’

Jake Paul argues that he will be facing his toughest test to date in December.

[autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] argues that he will be facing his toughest test to date in December.

Paul (7-1) takes on [autotag]Andre August[/autotag] (10-1-1) in an eight-round cruiserweight bout Dec. 15 at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Fla. The fight headlines MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects IV and will be offered as part of the standard DAZN subscription package.

August marks Paul’s most experienced opponent to date, but doesn’t boast the name that his previous opponents have. Paul addressed those criticizing the matchup.

“Shut the f*ck up if you still hating.

✅ Boxer true and true

✅ Better record than me

✅ More wins by KO than me

✅ Same weight.”

August has five knockout wins to his name; Paul has four. After he suffered his first loss earlier this year, a split decision to Tommy Fury in February in Saudi Arabia, Paul rebounded with a win over Nate Diaz in a 10-round fight in August. Paul dropped the former UFC star in Round 5 en route to a unanimous decision win.

“Ask and I shall deliver. August has more KO’s than me, more wins than me, more experience than me, but I like to gamble. The path to world champ starts here. Just straight up boxing.”

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Jake Paul to box Andre August Dec. 15 on DAZN: ‘I’m coming to prove my greatness’

Jake Paul returns to the boxing ring in December, and the fight won’t be on pay-per-view.

[autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] is returning to the boxing ring in December.

Paul (7-1) will meet [autotag]Andre August[/autotag] (10-1-1) in an eight-round cruiserweight bout Dec. 15 at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Fla. The fight headlines MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects IV and will be offered as part of the standard DAZN subscription package.

“I’m a professional boxer and I want to be world champion, so I need to pursue the path towards greatness against people who have been boxing their whole life,” Paul said in a press release. “So far, my entire boxing career has been on pay-per-view, but now it’s about more than business. Now I want to build my experience in the ring against seasoned fighters. I’m coming to prove my greatness on Friday, Dec. 15 live on DAZN for the world to see.”

Paul defeated Nate Diaz by unanimous decision in a 10-round fight this past August, managing to drop the former UFC star in Round 5. The YouTube star-turned-boxer rebounded from his first professional loss earlier this year, a split decision to Tommy Fury last February in Saudi Arabia. Paul has built his resume by defeating ex-UFC stars Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva and Diaz.

Currently riding a five-fight winning streak, August is coming off a unanimous decision win over unbeaten Brandon Martin. He has five knockout wins to his name and is expected to be Paul’s sternest test to date.

“I don’t talk very much,” August said. “I’m all about that action. Jake Paul has the money, the fame, the team and the resources, but he doesn’t have my hunger. When that bell rings, I am going to go straight to Jake Paul and ring his bell and send him back to YouTube for good.”

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