Photo by Jake Paul / YouTube
- Jake Paul is turning a hugely significant corner in his burgeoning boxing career.
- The internet celebrity returns to the ring August 6 for his biggest combat sports test to date.
- Paul fights Hasim Rahman Jr. — a legitimate fighter — in New York on a Showtime PPV.
Don't say it too loudly but we probably have to start giving Jake Paul credit as he's turned a massive corner in his burgeoning boxing career by taking on his greatest challenge to date when he returns to the ring August 6.
The internet sensation has disrupted the combat sports scene to great effect since he made his debut in 2018.
He's gone out of his way to troll MMA fighters while winding up boxing purists for the way in which he's become such a prominent figure in the fight game despite little to no background in the sport.
It's been beautiful.
Times are changing. Paul's going to get tested
Photo by Getty Images
But the context of his career is about to change forever as he's fighting Hasim Rahman Jr. — a 6-foot-3 athlete with a 12-1 record — in a cruiserweight bout that headlines at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Showtime PPV.
Rahman replaces Paul's previous opponent Tommy Fury, an undefeated fighter from the UK with an unbeaten record of eight wins (four knockouts), after the Brit was denied a Visa waiver to gain entry into the US.
The caliber of opponent Paul is targeting is a far cry from the quality we've seen from the YouTuber's early matches.
Previously, Paul had been feasting on a fellow creator in An Eson Gib, the former basketball player Nate Robinson, and then past prime MMA fighters Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley — contests that all adhered to boxing's ruleset.
Hasim Rahman Jr. — a legitimate opponent — is next in line
Photo by Getty Images
Now, the game has changed completely as Paul is seeking out actual boxers who can actually fight in a boxing ring.
Fury was a good opponent for Paul in what would have been his sixth bout.
Rahman is even better.
"Nothing but respect for Hasim Rahman Jr., a professional heavyweight boxer with a 12-1 record who comes from a legendary boxing family," said Paul in a statement sent to Insider, referencing Rahman's lineage as the son of Hasim Rahman — a former heavyweight world champion.
"He's bigger, he's stronger, and he's more experienced," Paul said. "But guess what? I'm crazier. I'm raising the stakes and, on August 6, I will get my respect under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden."
It's time to give credit to Jake Paul
Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images
Win or lose, Paul is deserving of similar respect to other boxing novices who level up their opposition as they tally their wins.
Rahman is an opponent that would have satisfied organizers at Showtime, where there is strict quality control over the types of fights that the premium network broadcasts, according to an Insider source with knowledge of the situation.
"His name value, lineage as the son of a former heavyweight champion, and his amateur background make him a worthy pay-per-view opponent" for Paul, our source told us under a request of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak on the record.
Rahman, a 31-year-old who had over 100 fights as an amateur, has scored six knockouts from his 13 pro bouts to date. He'll be no slouch for a novice boxer still finding his feet in the fight game.
"Jake Paul and I sparred two years ago and let's just say I took it easy on the kid," said Rahman in a statement sent to Insider.
Rahman is vowing to knock Paul out
Photo by Getty Images
"August 6 is not a sparring session," he added. "I am going to separate him from God's conscience. My name is Hasim Rahman Jr., and I am going to knock out Jake Paul. Period."
Rahman is a far more dangerous opponent than Fury, who was Paul's first choice and was expected to compete on the August 6 date himself.
Paul and Fury were supposed to take part in a press conference June 29 to promote their August showdown but the media event was canceled at the last minute when the British fighter couldn't travel to the US.
In a since-deleted Instagram post, Fury said he had "no clue" why he'd been denied entry.
Paul's previous opponent was denied entry to the US
Photo by Getty Images
"As I entered the airport I got pulled to one side and was told by homeland security officer that my ESTA had been denied and I wasn't able to travel for a reason I apparently know," Fury said.
Fury is not the only member of the British boxing community who has had issues when attempting to fly to the US for media events or fights.
However, two of Insider's boxing sources with knowledge of the situation at the time told us that Tommy Fury's troubles were not, as far as they were aware, related to others who were on an apparent "no-fly" list because of alleged associations with boxing manager Daniel Kinahan, a reputed narcoterrorist wanted by US authorities.
—Al Dawson (@AlanDawsonSport) June 28, 2022
Kinahan was sanctioned by the US Treasury earlier this year, as Insider previously reported, as the government said he funneled large quantities of cocaine from South America to Ireland and the UK.
A high court in Ireland previously accepted testimony that Kinahan is the figurehead of the Kinahan Organized Crime Group, and that this crime group reportedly specialized in execution-style murders, according to past Insider reporting.
Tommy is the half-brother of Tyson Fury, an unbeaten WBC heavyweight world boxing champion who claims to be retired from the sport following a strong knockout win over Dillian Whyte in April 2022.
Tyson has previously praised Kinahan, said once that the controversial boxing figure should be a political leader, and was seen as recently with him on a rooftop in Dubai — where the alleged crime boss is believed to reside.
Other figures in UK boxing are banned from the US, too
Photo by TK MMA / Instagram
Tyson Fury is seemingly banned from flying to the US.
The New York Times reported this week that Tommy "Fury was denied entry to the United States as his family faces questions about connections to Daniel Kinahan, a promoter who the U.S. says is also the head of a drug cartel."
Insider spoke to a source with knowledge of the situation who reiterated to us that Tommy's issue, from what they had understood from Fury's team, was always related to his Visa waiver — the ESTA — being denied.
Paul claims Fury went 'into hiding' from their anticipated fight
Photo by Anything Goes with James English / YouTube
However, this source said that if it really was a mere paperwork issue then they were led to believe it could have been resolved — if Tommy Fury really wanted it to be resolved.
Insider contacted Fury via social media but did not receive an immediate response.
"Fury fumbled the bag," Paul said in a statement sent to Insider, and "went into hiding."
Rahman, though, is a far more dangerous opponent in the eyes of organizers, according to Insider sources who are close to the fight.
Paul's respect in combat sports could soon skyrocket
Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images
A positive result is by no means a foregone conclusion for Paul who is just weeks away from entering the ring for his toughest boxing test to date.
Again, whisper it quietly, but for stepping up to that level Paul deserves credit.
And he'll deserve even more should he win.
Jake Paul has turned a massive corner in his burgeoning boxing career
Source: Kalayaan News
0 comments :
Post a Comment