The cruiserweight contest between novice boxer Jake Paul and former ONE welterweight champion and UFC fighter Askren was a clash of disciplines between combat sports.
The crossover collision proved that Paul was the more prolific fighter — and puncher — in the squared circle during Triller’s Fight Club pay-per-view at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday night.
Paul (3-0, 3 KOs) landed a crushing and resounding hard right hand that was set-up with a left jab that ultimately rocked and knocked out Askren (19-2 MMA) in the first round.
Paul’s vicious blow proved to be more than enough to score the win, as referee Brian Stutts declared Askren unfit to continue 1:59 into the round soon after he beat the 10-count.
The fight was a quick one, with just a few punches being landed. Paul had 9, while Askren countered with 3, according to CompuBox.
Paul started the fight looking to establish the jab, landing shots to the body of Askren. Within seconds, he found the winning formula, crushing Askren with the winning one-two combination.
Paul, who had a 12-year age advantage, was considered a consensus favorite and he proved to play every single part of the role over the former NCAA wrestling champion.
Perhaps next for Paul will be a fight versus yet another MMA fighter in Conor McGregor.
The 24-year-old has been calling out the Irishman over the last year, and Saturday night’s performance perhaps should garner serious attention from the former UFC multi-division champion.
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com
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