Why Are People Mad About The Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren Fight?

Moving to a 3-0 professional record, Jake Paul knocked out former MMA champion Ben Askren in under a minute during April 17th’s bout. 

The YouTube sensation delivered a right hand that sent Askren flying to the canvas, and the fight was called to a stoppage moments later. Since then, however, various criticisms have been made. 

The stoppage was too early.

Ben Askren was knocked down but looked ready to continue. Despite beating by Jake Paul, the 10-second count by a wide margin, referee Brian Stutts decided to stop the contest. 

Historically, he has been prone to taking beatings and recovering. In a clip that’s been circulating online, we’ve all seen him getting beaten into the ground by Lawler but still being able to continue and eventually win via submission.

Was Ben Askren really that good of an opponent? 

Respectfully, Ben Askren’s striking is very obviously not up to par. Even through the press conferences, he claimed that he was not a good boxer and would lose to anyone who was. 

At the weigh-ins, Ben Askren looked incredibly out of shape. During his training videos, he looked stiff and clunky. Ben Askren has never been known as a striker. He’s a top-tier fighter but exclusively as a grappler. Calling him a boxer is an equivalent of calling Tom Brady a rugby player.

Similarly, Ben Askren looked terrible during the fight. He rarely connected on any punches and looked increasingly inexperienced in comparison to Jake Paul. As a wrestler, he was a world champion, but he isn’t a primary striker.

Conspiracy

Ben Askren’s never been a fan of losing. In various fights against other opponents, his post-loss demeanor hasn’t been positive. In contrast, he was seen after the Jake Paul fight walking back to his room with a big smile alongside his wife. To many, this indicates that Ben Askren wasn’t taking the fight seriously, and some argue that the fight may have been fixed. No evidence has circulated to support this claim.

There’s no denying that Jake Paul is a good fighter. By this point, that’s been made pretty clear. Down to the subtle mannerisms, he has the talent of a refined athlete. In the future, however, he needs to be geared towards fighting legitimate strikers, not retired wrestlers.