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YouTuber Jake Paul revealed that his boxing career's ultimate goal is to beat someone as good as MMA stars Nate Diaz or Conor McGregor.
Jake Paul, who holds a boxing record of two wins in two fights, announced that he is going to fight former UFC fighter Ben Askren in an upcoming boxing bout on April 17.
Talking to ESPN's Ariel Helwani about his future third professional boxing fight with Askren, Jake Paul explained what he wants to achieve in the sport and how surprised he is with what happened so far:
"If you told me three years ago that this is what I would be doing: Headlining a global pay-per-view event in my third fight ever; breaking a pay-per-view record in my second fight ever; I just wouldn't believe you. So, to gauge where this could possibly go in one to two to three fights... This could become four times as big in two fights from now," Jake Paul predicted. "I think my ultimate goal is to knock out someone like a Nate Diaz and/or a Conor McGregor. And, you know, just to make history, man. And just to have fun doing it."
Askren will be the first Jake Paul opponent who is a professional fighter. The first time the YouTuber entered the ring was against AnEsonGib, another entertainer from the video-sharing platform. Jake Paul's second adversary was former NBA player Nate Robinson.
As for Askren, he is a former successful Olympic wrestler and a ONE and Bellator welterweight champion. "Funky" had three fights in the UFC, one win and two losses - one of which marked him negatively for suffering the fastest knockout in the promotion's history.
What can we expect of Jake Paul versus Ben Askren?
While many combat sports fans' are skeptical of the entertainment value that Jake Paul versus Ben Askren can offer, the YouTuber promises one of the best boxing events ever.
Jake Paul told ESPN's Ariel Helwani that the plan is to put on a spectacle with many other attractions besides the night's main event between him and Askren.
"Triller [an American video-making and social-networking service] put on one of the best boxing events we've seen. [With] musical performances... everything about it was just shocking: Mike Tyson coming back, Israel Adesanya commentating," remembered Jake Paul. "It was one of the best events, and that's what we plan on doing on April 17, breaking more records, shattering pay-per-view numbers, musical performances, crazy under cards. April 17 is going to be a movie."
