Editor’s note: This article was originally published on MMAJunkie.com.
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Ben Askren can’t wait to get his hands on Jake Paul – quite literally.
Askren, who’s scheduled to fight YouTube star Paul in an eight-round boxing match on April 17, has received a special gift to help him prepare.
A sports equipment manufacturer called Combat Corner created a custom-made Jake Paul punching bag for Askren, and “Funky” is already having a ball blasting Paul’s face with combinations.
“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, hot damn that face is ugly!!!”
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, hot damn that face is ugly!!! pic.twitter.com/G0oAZ9dza6
— Funky (@Benaskren) February 1, 2021
In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Askren took issue with oddsmakers pegging him as a betting underdog, considering his extensive mixed martial arts background. In 22 pro fights, the former ONE FC and Bellator welterweight champion has only been knocked out once, when he was finished by a Jorge Masvidal flying knee.
He expects his experience to play a major factor, predicting a seventh-round TKO over Paul, whose two wins over KSI and Nate Robinson have each come inside of two rounds.
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