'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Ben Askren has been having fun leading up to his Triller Fight Club boxing match against Jake Paul on April 17.
The difference between the attitude of the two fighters was very evident during the staredown on March 27 as well as during the press conference afterwards. Ben Askren was in a calm and collected mood throughout, whereas Jake Paul had a more aggressive demeanor.
The clip where Ben Askren walks away from the staredown palming Jake Paul's face and the latter responds with a slap has already gone viral on the internet.
Now Ben Askren has shared a clip of his training for the Jake Paul fight on his social media account, which is basically a parody of a segment from Sylvester Stallone's iconic movie series, Rocky.
Watch Ben Askren's video below:
The video is humorously inspired by Rocky IV (1985). The way Askren trains in the video is close to how Stallone's character Rocky Balboa trains amid snow in treacherous mountainous terrain and with rustic farm equipment. All this while, his opponent, Ivan Drago, played by Dolph Lundgren, prepares with high-tech equipment, an expert group of trainers, and administers regular doses of steroids.
Ben Askren and his wife Amy Askren also recreate the scene where Rocky's wife Adrian unexpectedly arrives to give her support.
Here's the video from the movie Rocky IV, where the resemblance can be clearly seen between the two clips. Ben Askren even uses the same background score, Hearts on Fire, as used in the movie.
Ben Askren to Jake Paul: I would do a homicide on you
Behind all the fun and jokes, Ben Askren appears to be quite serious about the boxing match, which is finally going to happen after the two have traded barbs over social media for months now. After winning against ex-NBA player Nate Robinson in his last outing, Jake Paul called out Conor McGregor and Ben Askren, and over the next many weeks, went on to hurl mocking and insulting commentary at them both.
While Conor McGregor has remained mostly silent about the matter, Ben Askren has not. The heat between the two was palpable at the press conference as well, where Jake Paul constantly made fun of Ben Askren. At one point, he even video called Jorge Masvidal to take a dig at Ben Askren, as the latter had lost in a 5-seconds TKO to the former in his second-last UFC fight.
However, Ben Askren was ready with his own answers.
"This is typical boy behavior, but sometimes the boy picks [on] the wrong person... You're not going to bully me, that's not going to happen. Jake, if you and I ran into each other in a back alley in Las Vegas and I wanted to do a homicide... I would do a homicide on you if I wanted to," said Askren.
