Earlier this month it seemed as though YouTuber Jake Paul had agreed to box former Bellator, ONE and UFC veteran Ben Askren. That announcement came after Paul went 2-0 in pro boxing with a brutal KO over former NBA player Nate Robinson.
Paul followed up his win over Robinson by calling out a number of people in combat sports including Akren, Jorge Masvidal, Dillon Danis and Conor McGregor.
Askren accepted Paul’s invitation and then former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen appeared to leak a Paul vs. Askren poster. Sonnen’s poster said the bout would be on March 28th and would be presented by Triller, the same company that promoted Paul vs. Robinson, underneath a main event of Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr.
However, now it seems we might not see the retired Askren step back into a ring opposite one half of the famous Paul brothers. Askren took to Twitter to share an update on the Paul negotiations, or lack thereof.
Hopefully Santa brings @jakepaul some courage for Christmas next year. pic.twitter.com/G7z7UTsfBd
— Funky (@Benaskren) December 27, 2020
“So let me give you a little recap of the situation,” Askren said (ht MMA Fighting). “I’m retired, coaching wrestling, doing some podcasts, buying some bitcoin. Enjoying life. I don’t want to really fight anybody! So in November, this jabroni, Jake Paul calls me out, puts up a poster with my name, ha ha. It’s kinda funny, whatever. No big deal. Well then, a couple weeks later, I get a couple of texts. Then a week after that I get some calls. Then I get an offer. Okay, this guy really wants to fight.
“Am I opposed to making some easy money beating up a YouTuber? Of course I’m not. Right? So what do I do? Sure, Jacob, I’ll fight you. No problem. I accept publicly on Twitter nonetheless. Since then, Jacob’s went silent. Jacob’s kind of a coward. Sorry guys, don’t think the fight is happening.”
Askren retired from MMA last year after going 1-2 in the UFC. Before joining the promotion he won welterweight titles with Bellator and ONE.
About the author
