Jake Paul has revealed that he plans on withdrawing from a proposed amateur wrestling matchup with recent boxing opponent, Ben Askren, labelling the former UFC welterweight contender, “a f*cking loser“.
Paul, who improved to 3-0 as a professional boxer last weekend, headlined a Triller Fight Club event against the former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight champion, where he scored a first-round TKO win over the veteran at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
Landing an overhand right on Askren just before the two-minute mark of the opening round, Paul sent the Iowa native to the canvas. Returning to his feet at the count of eight, Askren was prevented from continuing by referee, Brian Stutts who waved off the affair.
In the days since the spectacle, Paul has been linked to his next professional boxing outing against the likes of former UFC welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley, former two-weight champion, Daniel Cormier, Bellator grappler, Dillion Danis, and 3-0 professional boxer, Tommy Fury, the younger brother of heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury.
Taking to his official Twitter account this morning, Paul revealed that he was set to face-off with Askren in a pay-per-view amateur wrestling match, but has since decided against the idea — claiming Askren is a “f*cking loser“.
“What I love about power is having the ability to put people on and choosing not to,” Paul wrote. “Ben (Askren) and I were supposed to have a wrestling PPV match after their fight which would have easily generated millions of dollars. I’m choosing not to do it anymore because he’s a f*cking loser.“
Following the matchup, Paul claimed that the event generated a pay-per-view buy rate of 1.5 million, and according to various outlets, the numbers are still being crunched, however, the buy rate is likely to fall somewhere between 1.2 and 1.6 million.
Reflecting on his defeat to Paul, Askren claimed that he was a “dumbass“ for not retaining a tight guard, allowing Paul to land the overhand right which ultimately ended the contest.
“We knew he had a good overhand right, and I’m a dumbass, and I didn’t block it,” Askren said. “My defense was a little too loose. I heard my coaches, both Tyron and ‘Biggie,’ were saying stop reacting to his fakes, and I didn’t, and I paid the price.”