By Sean Jones: Eddie Hearn predicts that YouTuber Jake Paul will only do well as long as he fights limited opposition that doesn’t come from a boxing background.
Hearn expects that Paul (2-0, 2 KOs) will start believing that he can really fight after he beats some of MMA guys like Ben Askren.
Once that happens, Hearn predicts that the wins will go to Jake’s brain, making him think he can take on a good boxer. The result of that will be Jake, 24, getting “flattened,” says Hearn.
If Jake takes on Floyd Mayweather Jr after his fight with Askren, Hearn may see his prophecy fulfilled.
But it would be a mistake for the British promoter to overlook the punching power, size, and the youth that Jake has on his side against a fighter like the 43-year-old Mayweather.
With Jake’s tremendous punching power, he could do to Mayweather what he did to Nate Robinson if he lands clean.
Unfortunately, you can’t rule out Mayweather insisting on 16 oz gloves to take the sting out of Jake’s punches.
Jake Paul is good for boxing
“I’ve seen a different side to Jake Paul, and my upcoming podcast, I actually quite like Jake Paul,” said Eddie Hearn to iFL TV. “I told him during the podcast that ‘you come across like a helmet.’
“Something along those lines. He probably wouldn’t know what I mean, but he basically said in the podcast, ‘I’m doing that to attract attention. I’m doing that to wind people up, I’m doing that to make noise.
“This is a guy whose whole life is dependent on views. This is what I said to him. The biggest question that fans want to know about you is why do you wear two watches?’
“He said that he wants to know what his girls are up to in New York and what his girls are up to in LA. I’m going to put it out right now.
“I quite like Jake Paul, and I think he’s alright for boxing. He’s training like a fighter in camp, sparring, and doing the right things.
“The AnEsonGib fight that I done, okay, it was a big Mickey Mouse. Gib got ironed out in a round. But I said before, Jake Paul can fight and he can punch.
“You can’t really class that as a serious fight, but listen, I done it. Nate Robinson, athlete, trying to have a fight but can’t really fight. He got ironed out in one round or two rounds? Whatever it was.
“Okay, do we give Jake any more respect as a fighter for winning that fight? No, but he’s certainly explosive and he can look after himself,” said Hearn.
Eddie is the one that started the whole YouTube boxing thing when he asked the Logan Paul vs. KSI match to Billy Saunders’ card in 2019.
Hearn predicting KO win for Jake against Askren
“Now he fights Ben Askren. Ben Askren has all the striking ability of Adam Smith of Sky,” Heaarn said about Jake Paul’s upcoming fight.
“Sorry, Adam, I just threw that out. I don’t know why. But he [Askren] does fight for a living.
“So when he does knocks Ben Askren out in a round, which he will, at what point do you say actually ‘thi guy ain’t bad?’
“Now when I say I don’t mind him, I think he’s okay for boxing, it doesn’t mean that I don’t accept that when I watch him in these videos, I either think he’s bang out of order, he deserves a slap or he’s a right helmet because I do have those feelings when I watch him.
“But people are watching, people are engaged, and he will fight good fighters as he progresses.
“So I don’t mind him. When there’s a YouTube exhibition, him and Gib, it’s just two YouTubers having a scrap. But when you start fighting UFC guys and then next you could be fighting a bigger name UFC or MMA guy.
“Who’s the other guy he has a beef with? Dillion Danis. These kinds of people. I believe that’ll happen,” said Hearn when asked if Jake Paul will eventually start fighting good boxers,” said Hearn.
A win for Jake Paul over Ben Askren will be huge, and it’s going to do a lot to show that he’s for real as a boxer. Those to will be fighting on April 17th in an eight-round fight.
Hearn doesn’t mind Jake
“But if there was a fighter coming out making his debut, you wouldn’t stick him in necessarily for a 50-50 fight for his debut,” Hearn said.
“So this guy beat Gib, it was what it was. Nate Robinson, a step up. Askren, at least he’s a UFC fighter. I know I’ll get a lot of heat from people.
“I put a thing out, ‘I’m interviewing Jake paul tonight. Any questions?’ Most of them were, ‘Tell him he’s an absolute nob.’
“Don’t get me wrong; I thought the video about Conor [McGregor] was bang out of order, and he deserves to get a slap if someone sees him.
“But he don’t care. What has he done now? He’s gone on Instagram and deleted all the people he follows, and he just follows Triller and Ben Askren’s wife.
“I mean, it’s bang out of order but you’re goading people. You want people to tune in, you want people to be engaged.
“Of course, it’s working because when you couple a fighter that talks a lot of s*** with a guy that knows how to distribute content to his followers and drive views, that’s when you get the synergy.
“So, I don’t mind it. Again, I know people will hate it. But he will knock Askren out in a round or two.
Say what you want about Jake, but he’s serious about his boxing career, and he’s putting in the effort to improve.
Jake is one of those fighters like Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder in excelling at the sport despite getting a relatively late start.
Joshua and Wilder didn’t benefit from a starting young like some fighters, but it hasn’t held them back.
Jake Paul will get flattened one day
“But one day, he’ll get flattened and you’ll love watching it,” said Hearn. “But you know the fight where you think he might get flattened?
“It’s going to be a big fight. You know when he takes that jump a little too far and he starts rating himself a fighter, and goes, ‘You know what? I’m ready, give me a pro fighter.’
“That’s when he’s going to get flattened. He says he wants to make KSI look like a meme or whatever. That’s when he’ll become a meme.
“But he don’t have experience. He’s better than some fighters I’ve seen, for sure. But when he steps up against a boxer, he’s going to get beat.
“He will, but I’m not saying he can’t fight because I’ve seen him spar and I know he’s game. That’s another thing that we talked about in the podcast,” said Hearn when asked if we’ll see Jake Paul take on KSI.
“The danger for Jake Paul and they won’t like this, believing he’s a real fighter. Real fighters are people that have dedicated their life to the sport and that have done the hard rounds.
“This is a guy that has just gone in, made money, and fancies he can fight. But listen, good luck to him,” said Hearn about Jake Paul.
If Jake takes on a top boxer from the cruiserweight division like Mairis Briedis, of course, he’s going to be out of his league. But there are plenty of fighters that Jake can beat. It would be interesting to see Jake eventually take on some of Hearn’s fighters.