Dana White: Jake Paul is saving boxing
Label it pure entertainment, shame on the sport, or whatever, but YouTube sensation Jake Paul is doing perfectly to save boxing.
The sport has been on the decline, and it hit its lowest when the pandemic hit.
And Dana White has responded to Jake Paul’s knockout success against previous UFC star Ben Askren by crediting the YouTuber for sucking individuals into his item in the boxing ring.
YouTube star Paul won his third expert boxing battle definitively on Saturday night in Atlanta, incredibly taking out Askren with a staggering right-hand.
It was Askren’s first appearance as a fighter. Having recently said he’d bet $1m for Askren winning, UFC supremo White credited Paul for exploiting boxing as a terrible spot right now.
‘This is the right guy with the right shtick at the right time,’ he told Yahoo Sports, as reported by BJPENN.
‘This guy is playing this thing perfectly. And boxing is in such a bad place; they’re doing an excellent job at sucking in people to buy into this thing. And good for him.’
Paul comically tweeted after the fight: ‘What should I buy with Dana White’s $1m? I’m thinking of a Porsche 918 Spyder,’ alongside a picture of the car.
The YouTuber likewise uncovered on Monday that he disregarded his mentor’s recommendation during those initial couple of moments of the battle against Askren.
The 24-year-old, presently 3-0 in his expert profession in the ring, got his victory over previous UFC warrior Askren only one moment and 59 seconds into the first round.
Paul sorted out an imposing cluster of strikes to send his rival colliding with the material – and uncovered that he had dismissed the yells from his corner after detecting Askren’s shortcoming.