Jake Paul, Ben Askren trade trash talk after fight is made official

Mere hours after their upcoming boxing match was made official, Jake Paul and Ben Askren are already swapping trash talk on Twitter.

Paul, who achieved his massive fame on YouTube, will collide with Askren in an eight-round professional boxing match on April 17. News of the fight was first reported by BJPENN.com, and recently confirmed as official by ESPN.

While the bout was only just made official, Askren and Paul are already swapping trash talk on social media.

https://twitter.com/jakepaul/status/1354084456273993734

“Representing the UFC, Mr. Napoleon Dynamite look-alike Ben Askren finally accepted the fight,” Paul wrote in a Twitter post. “He is a two-time NCAA champion, a world champion in two different global mixed martial arts organizations, and has less losses on his record than Conor McGregor, yet I’m still going to knock him out faster than [Jorge] Masvidal did.

“Some MMA guys think because they throw punches, they know how to box. I shocked the world when I knocked out an NBA superstar athlete [Nate Robinson], but some people still complain that he’s not a real fighter. So now I’m giving the people what they want by taking on a real fighter.”

Its cute that Jake thinks he is a real fighter, Im gonna beat him up April 17 https://t.co/XcsJ8WhmR3

— Funky (@Benaskren) January 26, 2021

“Its cute that Jake thinks he is a real fighter,” Askren wrote in response to Paul. “I’m gonna beat him up April 17.”

While Paul is correct that Askren is a real fighter, having won titles in ONE Championship and Bellator and gone 1-2 in the UFC, it’s impossible to ignore that Askren has never been known for his boxing. The former NCAA wrestler used his grappling to set up the vast majority of his MMA victories, and was often criticized for his rudimentary striking in the stand-up phases of his fights. So, while he can certainly beat Paul, it’s evident that he was chosen as the YouTube star’s opponent because he’s not a lethal boxer.

Who do you think will come out on top when Jake Paul and Ben Askren fight on April 17?