Jake Paul vs Ben Askren: UK ring walk time, how to watch, PPV price
Jake Paul and Ben Askren go head-to-head on Saturday night in Atlanta as ‘The Problem Child’ promises another devastating knockout: Everything you need to know ahead of the fight
- Jake Paul and Ben Askren go head-to-head on Saturday night in Atlanta
- Paul, 24, is undefeated after one amateur and two professional fights
- Previously retired Askren has not fought since defeat to Demian Maia in 2019
- Paul emphatically knocked out NBA star Nate Robinson in November last year
After a rather thorough war of words, Jake Paul and Ben Askren will finally take to the ring in an eagerly-anticipated spectacle on Saturday night in Atlanta.
Paul, the YouTuber who emphatically knocked out NBA star Nate Robinson in November last year, is facing a serious step-up in competition, with Askren a legitimate fighter, having won 19 of 21 UFC bouts.
At 36-years-old, Askren comes into the fight on the back of a major hip operation however, having also retired back in 2019 after falling to back-to-back defeats, one of which being his memorable loss to Jorge Masvidal, whose five-second knockout remains the fastest-ever in UFC history.
Additionally, while Askren was highly successful in the UFC and also represented the USA as a wrestler in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, his striking is renowned to be one of the poorest in the business.
That has fueled the confidence of Paul, who believes his skill in the boxing ring will prove too much for Askren, who instead insists his overall combat experience will guide him through the fight.
With the intriguing clash swiftly approaching, Sportsmail takes you through everything you need to know.
Jake Paul and Ben Askren engaged in a heated press conference ahead of the big fight
The match-up between Paul and Askren is scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 17 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
For fans in the United Kingdom, the undercard action won’t get underway until around 2am, with the main event expected for around 4am, depending on the outcome of the prior fights.
There are certainly some intriguing spectacles on the undercard, however, so it’s not just the main event worth viewing. Steve Cunningham, who dropped Tyson Fury back in 2013, is taking on ex-UFC heavyweight star Frank Mir, while Regis Prograis – who fought Josh Taylor in 2019 – is also on the card.
Meanwhile, there will also be performances from the likes of Justin Bieber and Snoop Dogg.
How to watch Jake Paul vs Ben Askren
Fans in the United Kingdom can watch the fight online via the streaming site FITE TV. The bout is part of a pay-per-view event and it will cost £17 to purchase.
To find out more about buying the fight, click HERE.
For those in the USA, the fight will be available to stream via social media site Triller, which also broadcast Paul’s previous fight with Robinson.
Paul vs Askren: The records
Jake Paul
Age: 24
Nationality: American
Nickname: Problem Child
Height: 6ft 1in
Reach: 76′
Record: 2W, 0L, 0D
Knockouts: 100%
Ben Askren
Age: 36
Nationality: American
Nickname: Funky
Height: 5ft 10in
Reach: 73′
Record: 19W, 2L, 0D (UFC)
Knockouts: 32%
Card in full
- Jake Paul v Ben Askren
- Regis Prograis v Ivan Redkach
- Lorenzo Simpson v Francisco Emanuel Torres
- Junior Younan v Jeyson Minda
- Quinton Randall v William Jackson
- Steve Cunningham v Frank Mir
- Joe Fournier v Andres Felipe Robledo Londono
Jake Paul’s boxing journey to date
Paul knocked AnEsonGib down three times in a one-round stoppage victory in January 2020
Paul then delivered a shocking knockout win against Nate Robinson in November last year
Though many will question his opposition to date, Jake Paul has certainly experienced a rise in both competition and audience since he first entered the ring in 2018.
The 24-year-old started his boxing journey in front of 18,000 fans in a jam-packed Manchester Arena, where he stopped fellow YouTuber Deji in the fifth round, before his brother Logan drew with KSI in the main event.
Paul then increased his stock as he stepped into the professional game for the first time, defeating AnEsonGib in a round, before his brutal knockout win over Nate Robinson – on the undercard of Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr – went viral.
Paul has spoken of his aspirations to become the world’s biggest prize fighter, calling out the likes of Conor McGregor and Dillon Danis.
However, his critics have repeatedly insisted Paul is yet to face a genuine fighter, though that will change on Saturday. Even with Askren’s limited ability with his hands, a convincing win would certainly further Paul’s legitimacy as a boxer.
Should he lose, however, you feel that will be the end of his boxing career.
What has been said?
Askren gave Paul a push in the face at their fiery press conference at the end of March
As stated above, there has been an abundance of trash talk from both camps ahead of the fight.
Paul has certainly been more aggressive in his insults, saying: ‘You f***** up, Ben by taking this fight. April 17, I promised my team, my family, my brother who is there right next to you right now, I promise to make you go down as history as the world’s worst UFC fighter.’
The 24-year-old also launched a hurl of abuse in Askren’s direction as their press conference. He repeatedly showed Askren videos of his stoppage defeat to Masvidal, and actually delivered a somewhat tame punch to his opponent’s side after receiving a gentle push to the face.
Askren has taken a more measured approach in the build-up. The veteran acknowledges his stand-up game is limited, but insists he should have enough to beat Paul.
‘When I was doing MMA, all my stand-up was based around how do I execute the intro to the striking and then get to my wrestling,’ Askren told MMA Fighting. ‘I was very, very successful at it.’
He added: ‘Boxing, obviously it’s different, but I told someone the other day that I’m really good at athletics.
‘I wanted to be a really great wrestler. I won NCAA titles and made the Olympics. I wanted to be a good mixed martial artist. I won multiple belts in multiple organizations.
‘If I want to beat up an amateur boxer, it ain’t gonna take me more than three months of training to do so.’
Jake Paul vs Ben Askren: The odds
Despite his relative inexperience, Paul comes into the bout as the favourite to prevail among the bookies.
The young American is favoured at 4/7 to come out victorious, while Askren is the 11/8 underdog. Meanwhile, a highly unlikely draw is down at 18/1.
*Odds as per Betfair and correct at the time of publication.
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