Jake Paul has a new opponent for his boxing match at Madison Square Garden next month after the withdrawal of Tommy Fury. Now Jake Paul will be fighting Hasim Rahman Jr probably in August.
Hasim Rahman Jr., son of the former boxing heavyweight champion of the same name fight Paul on Aug. 6 in New York, Paul told ESPN on Thursday. Rahman, who is from Baltimore, is 12-1 as a pro boxer with six knockouts. The eight-round bout will be contested at 200 pounds and will be broadcast on Showtime PPV.
Rahman, a 31-year-old heavyweight, is not a household name. He has more experience than Paul (5-0) in boxing and is bigger. But Paul, the YouTube star-turned-prizefighter. He had already decided he would fight a real boxer in his next bout after a bevy of criticism that he was only interested in fighting older MMA fighters or athletes from other sports. Rahman, Paul believes, is a much harder opponent than Fury would have been.
“I’m literally crazy,” Paul said. “There’s no reason why I should be taking this fight. … I want to prove to the boxing world that I’m a real dog, which I am. And I’m gonna go in there against this 12-1 kid who is bigger than Tommy Fury, faster than Tommy Fury — all of these things. And I’m gonna put on the performance of a lifetime and just shut everyone up.”