It took Jake Paul less than two minutes to win his third professional bout.
Paul, the YouTube star turned boxer, sent Ben Askren to the canvas with his right hand straight in the middle of the first round of his weightlifting cruise. Even though Askren got up, referee Brian Stutts ruled that Askren could not continue, giving Paul a first-round tie at 1:59 of the first round.
Paul (3-0, 3 KOs) collapsed on the canvas crying before celebrating and doing push-ups in the ring. Paul, 24, took care of Askren quickly. He had patience for the first minute as Askren chased him around the ring.
Then, when Paul began to feel comfortable, he did a quick job with Askren, 36. He set up the right straight with a punch and the solid contact brought down Askren. After the fight, Paul climbed into the broadcast booth to celebrate with Snoop Dogg.
“It’s been four months. I’ve been to training camp every day,” Paul told Triller after the fight. “I deserved this —. This is the craziest moment of my life.
“I told everyone I would do it in the first round. I told them I’m a real fighter. I don’t know how many times I have to prove that this is real.”
Paul got 9 of 26 punches in the fight, while Askren got 3 of 14 punches. It was Paul’s last two punches that caused the most damage. Paul told Snoop Dogg after the fight that he didn’t even get a chance to really warm up.
That came months after Paul eliminated former basketball player Nate Robinson in the first round with a viral tie during Triller’s first fight on the bottom card of Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr.’s main event. in November.
Paul led the second Triller event and sent Askren, making his boxing debut almost as fast.
Paul’s entry, during which he entered the ring with a sort of fake robot accompanying him, could have lasted longer than the fight itself. Paul’s victory culminated in a night that was quite a spectacle.
It featured a literal slap fight, performances by The Black Keys, Doja Cat, Ice Cube, Mount Westmore and Justin Bieber. Traveling journalist and comedian Pete Davidson stole the show, mocking everyone and everything.
After the fight, Paul said he dedicated it to his security guard, who died ten days ago. It was part of a heavy week of news for Paul, who was also accused by TikTok star Justine Paradise of forcing her to have sex without consent in 2019. Paul’s lawyer told ESPN earlier this week that Paul “categorically denies the accusation.”
Boxing was secondary for most of the night as he played musician after musician, with a fight during the first two hours of the pay-per-view, a fight that lasted two rounds, as Reykon refused to leave. corner for the third round. against Joe Fournier.
Otherwise, it was about music and drawings (the show opened with a drawing in which Snoop Dogg and Jaleel White, playing their iconic role as Steve Urkel from “Family Matters”, joking about marijuana) , with very few real fights in the fight. club.
Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube recognized DMX rapper and great boxer Marvin Hagler, who died earlier this year, during the show, including a video in honor of the late rapper.
Even the fight with the best-known potential, Regis Prograis, ended in controversy after his opponent, Ivan Redkach, was taken out of the ring on a stretcher after a Prograis punch in the sixth round.
The fight, which had been scheduled for 10 rounds, went to the scorecards, with Prograis winning a majority victory by 60-54, 60-54, 59-54.
ESPN’s Marc Raimondi contributed to this report.