Jake Paul has called on Dana White to join the effort to raise funds for Ben Askren’s double lung transplant.
The legendary former Bellator and ONE FC champion has been battling pneumonia for weeks and now requires a double lung transplant, which is one of the most expensive surgeries in America. However, reports indicate that his insurance company has denied his claim and he will have to go out of pocket.
As a result, there has been a donation effort set up on Help Hope Live that the boxer has committed to helping, along with his brother Logan Paul. Askren and the younger Paul brother infamously fought in 2021 and shared a bitter feud, which has now gone completely to the wayside.
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Jake Paul calls on Dana White to get involved in Ben Askren fundraising effort
Following his fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr on Saturday night, Jake Paul made a point to mention Ben Askren’s fundraiser in front of the hundreds of thousands of viewers watching his speech. And he reiterated his feelings in the post-fight press conference when asked by Bloody Elbow about it.
“It’s just insane and insurance is a f—ing scam,” he explained. “And it’s so sad. Right when you need these companies they’re not there and it’s f—ed up and his insurance denied him to get the double lung transplant which is also one of the most expensive surgeries which is why they denied it.
“It just sucks and it sucks that no one is doing anything. I was obviously super busy this week so we’re figuring out the donation now, but none of these people like Dana [White] or any of these people are stepping in so I feel like I have to do something and that’s really all it is.”
Jake Paul gave emotional speech about Ben Askren after latest win
Paul is known as one of combat sports’ biggest heels and he delivered on that with a vicious promo following his ten-round decision win over Chavez Jr. But immediately after making his viral callout, he made sure to draw attention to the Askren situation.
“Say a prayer for Ben Askren and for his family,” Paul said during the latter stages of the live DAZN broadcast while being interviewed by Ariel Helwani. “We all need to support him. Everyone should go donate to him.”
It followed a message he sent out at the pre-fight press conference where he spoke about how he learned of his old rival’s health struggles. He opted against contacting the family directly, but is planning a big donation to the ex-fighter.