KEY POINTS

  • Ben Askren is confident of bursting Jake Paul's boxing dream
  • Paul remains favorite to prevail over "Funky"
  • Askren feels Paul's boxing opponents are the reason behind his ring following

Retired mixed martial artist Ben Askren may be the underdog, but he does know what fighting is all about.

Though he will be engaging in a different kind of fight sport, he is confident of dealing the 23-year-old with a sound beating that would make him realize that all of this is for real.

Despite his colorful mixed martial arts history, “Funky” is considered an underdog by most because Paul has the boxing experience. The YouTuber already has two fights under his belt and has won them all.

Of the two fights, it was Paul’s win over former NBA player Nate Robinson that boosted his stock. His second-round knockout over the former NBA Slam Dunk champion remains fresh in the mind of most and Askren admits that he has been reviewing that fight as well as the first boxing match against fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib.

The 36-year-old said he was hardly impressed when he spoke to MMA Fighting.

“The other one was really, really bad. I guess to his credit, he looks better against Nate Robinson but better against Nate Robinson? Nate Robinson looked like he didn’t spar one time for that fight. Better against Nate Robinson, I’m not sure that means better. Maybe Nate Robinson made him look that good,” Askren said.

Most are favoring Paul because he has experience in boxing. Regardless, Askren is unfazed. He believes that after their fight, the internet sensation will have second thoughts of pursuing boxing.

Ben Askren
Ben Askren will face Robbie Lawler in his UFC debut. In this picture, Askren of United States celebrates after defeating Agilan Thani of Malaysia in the welterweight world championship bout during the One Championship Dynasty of Heroes at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, May 26, 2017. Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty Images

“I would venture to guess once this [boxing] thing starts getting serious [for Paul], I think that getting serious starts on April 17, he’s going to think twice about it. He’s going to think ‘wow, there’s a lot easier ways for me to make money in life. I kind of thought this was a good idea, I thought this was cool and now maybe I’m thinking twice about this,” Askren explained.

In the opinion of Askren, it was his opponents that helped boost his popularity and earnings. The same is seen by most for Apr. 17 although the former NCAA Division I feels otherwise.

Askren does have a chance, and the best thing he can do for now is train and get a crash course in boxing.

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