Don’t count UFC President Dana White among the people who take seriously YouTube celebrity Jake Paul’s move into professional boxing.
White scoffed at Paul’s upcoming boxing match against retired UFC fighter Ben Askren as they prepare to clash at an upcoming event in Atlanta on April 17.
During an appearance on “Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson,” the UFC talked about the fight with former boxing champion Zab Judah, who has visited with Paul during his past training camps.
“Let’s be honest, Jake Paul isn’t a f*cking boxer,” White said. “This guy’s a f*cking YouTube kid. Zab, no bullsh*t, you’re hanging out with the kid, you know him. You’re saying he can fight? Zab Judah said he can fight.”
Paul’s two career wins have come against ex-NBA player Nate Robinson, who had never boxed before signing onto face him as part of the recent Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. card, and his debut against a fellow YouTube celebrity named AnEsonGib.
Askren, meanwhile, has never been known for striking much during his MMA career. But the former Bellator and ONE champion has faced a lot of stiff competition over the years.
On April 17, Paul will face off with a true fighter for the first time.
“The kid that he’s going to fight is a wrestler,” White said about Askren. “A real good wrestler, decorated wrestler, but he’s actually fought real guys. He’s been a world champion in other organizations.”
White has never shied away from sharing his disdain for Jake Paul and his brother Logan, who have both crossed over into boxing matches in recent years. Logan Paul actually had an exhibition bout scheduled against Floyd Mayweather, but the matchup was later postponed.
As for Paul’s chances against Askren, White doesn’t expect him to do very well, and he hopes there’s a sports book somewhere that will accept a wager on the fight.
“I hope you can bet on this thing, cause I’ll bet a million dollars that he loses this f*cking fight,” White said about Paul. “Bet a million dollars that he loses this fight. I hope we can bet on this.”
Of course, it didn’t take long for White’s challenge to reach Paul, who countered with his own offer while also adding that he wouldn’t mind fighting the UFC president in the future as well.
