Former MMA world champion Ben Askren seems to be taking his upcoming boxing battle against Jake Paul super seriously. But that doesn’t mean the 36-year-old is taking it so seriously that he hasn’t had time in between his intense training sessions to create post after post on social media to troll the YouTuber.
The posts aren’t just tweets or even the high-level Instagram stories Paul is known for producing.
I’m telling you that Askren is making some top-quality content right now in his efforts to get under Paul’s skin, and all of it is worth watching.
The latest on Instagram is a tremendous training montage inspired by Sylvester Stallone’s 1985 film “Rocky IV”.
Askren posted, “When I got the call to fight Logan Paul’s little brother I had to go into Rocky Style training!”
But Askren didn’t start there, and he probably won’t end there either.
Recently, Askren has even dared to go after Paul’s relationship with his older brother, Logan Paul. Askren posted about Logan Paul beating up Jake Paul when the two were growing up. He posted, “Every little brother knows this as fact. Not sure why @jakepaul is so salty about it.”
Jake Paul, 24, and Logan Paul, 25, are two of the most popular YouTubers in the world. Both have been honing their new trades in the world of combat sports as of late. Jake Paul is 2-0 with 2 KOs, but he’s yet to face a legitimate prizefighter.
All that will change against Askren on April 17.
Still, Askren doesn’t seem all that concerned about it. He showed that when the two met face-to-face at the press conference for the event over the weekend, and his actions seem to have seriously bothered Paul.
Paul claims Askren’s slap during their face-off was a big mistake. Paul posted, “Only time Ben Askren ever touches me … he done f***ed up.”
Only time Ben Askren ever touches me … he done fucked up pic.twitter.com/qDuYSWsrcV
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) March 26, 2021
But maybe a bigger mistake was a novice professional fighter deciding to climb inside the ring with someone with as many pro fights as Askren.
Sure, Askren never won UFC gold, but he was a welterweight champ for both Bellator MMA and ONE Championship.
Heck, Askren never even lost a fight until he entered the UFC at the very end of his career. Before losing his last two fights to Jorge Masvidal and Demian Maia, Askren had won 19 fights in a row and he did it over a decade of solid work.
During that 10 years, Askren made his bones in MMA cages by avoiding his opponents’ punches and turning his fights into wrestling matches. While he won’t be able to do the latter in his boxing match vs. Paul, the former will most certainly be an important factor in the fight.
What happens to Paul when he throws punches for the first time in his career against a person who doesn’t immediately fall to pieces? That’s the biggest question heading into the fight on Triller pay-per-view, and the answer is likely to determine the winner of the fight.
Until that day, Askren is apparently only doing two things. He’s training under the watchful eye of legendary boxing trainer Freddie Roach, who helped turn Manny Pacquiao into one of the biggest superstars the sport has ever seen, and he’s trolling Paul via social media.
As excellent as Paul has been so far in his short fighting career at making his own waves via social media, Askren has been even better at it as of late.
In fact, UFC stars such as Daniel Cormier, who previously leaned toward the idea that Askren was in for a long, long night vs. Paul have suddenly changed their tunes. “DC” posted, “Ben, I like the way you did him! Let’s go Askren!!!!!!”
Ben, I like the way you did him! Let’s go Askren!!!!!! https://t.co/wWJswgaY4w
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) March 27, 2021
He posted, “I just saw Jake Paul’s reaction to @Benaskren palming his face and I am now convinced that Ben wins. He looked like he wanted to throw a punch and then settled on slapping his ass? Ben smashes this dude. I’m all the way in!!!!”
I just saw Jake Paul reaction to @Benaskren palming his face and I am now convinced that Ben wins. He looked like he wanted to throw a punch and then settled on slapping his ass? Ben smashes this dude. I’m all the way in!!!!
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) March 27, 2021
Paul vs. Askren is set for April 17 on Triller pay-per-view. It’s sure to be one of the wildest events of the year in combat sports, and Askren seems intent on making things as difficult as possible for his opponent until the fight takes place.
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