Jake Paul Meets Hasim Rahman Jr. At MSG On August 6

Jake Paul will not face Tommy Fury in the ring for the second time in eight months. Instead, Showtime officially announced that Paul (5-0, 4 KOs) would take on Hasim Rahman Jr. (12-1, 6 KOs) in what many call a step up in competition. This bout will be at cruiserweight for eight rounds, Madison Square Garden in New York City on Saturday, August 6 on Showtime PPV. Tickets will go on sale July 12 at 1 p.m. ET and can be copped at www.msg.com. Both Paul and Rahman Jr. will meet face to face next Tuesday, July 12, at 1 p.m. ET for their initial press conference to get the war of words started.

OK!
Here is my Managers @jakepaul Next Opponent, for those who kept asking for a REAL Boxer ‘HERE YOU F***ing GO!’
A Legit Heavyweight w/a great record 12-1 & over 100 Amateur fights.
Sound Riskier than #TommyFumbles to me 🤔

I want Front Row Seats Nakisa @MostVpromotions 😂 pic.twitter.com/w76exiE5IH

— Amanda Serrano (@Serranosisters) July 7, 2022

“Fury fumbled the bag for the second time in a row and went into hiding, so I'm going to step up, again, and take on a new opponent on short notice,” said Paul. “Nothing but respect for Hasim Rahman Jr., a professional heavyweight boxer with a 12-1 record who comes from a legendary boxing family. He's bigger, he's stronger, and he's more experienced. But guess what? I'm crazier. I'm raising the stakes, and on August 6, I will get my respect under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.”

As previously written, the co-main event will still feature Amanda Serrano (42-2-1, 30 KOs) taking on Brenda Carabajal (18-5, 9 KOs), defending her unified featherweight titles.

Paul and Rahman Jr. are familiar with one another from their days as sparring partners. Rahman Jr. helped Paul prepare for his pro debut against AnEsonGib, which Paul won spectacularly via first-round knockout in January 2020. Rahman Jr. sparred with Paul again to help him prepare for his second fight against the NBA slam dunk champion Nate Robinson later that year. Rahman Jr.'s lone defeat came last April when Rahman Jr. was stopped in the fifth round by James McKenzie Morrison.

“Jake Paul and I sparred two years ago, and let's just say I took it easy on the kid,” said Rahman Jr. “August 6 is not a sparring session. I am going to separate him from God's conscience. My name is Hasim Rahman Jr., and I am going to knock out Jake Paul. Period.”

Rounding out the pay-per-view undercard are separate bouts involving unbeaten knockout artist Brandun Lee (25-0, 22 KOs) and quick-fisted Ashton Sylve (7-0, 7 KOs). The 23-year-old Lee has won 15 of his last 16 fights by knockout and has shown both one-punch power and the ability to out-box his opponents. He most recently dominated tough veteran Zachary Ochoa in April and has quickly established himself as one of the most talented 140-pounders in the division.

Sylve, 18, is the first prospect signed by Paul's Most Valuable Promotions and already finds himself boxing on the biggest stage in the world at Madison Square Garden on SHOWTIME PPV. The undefeated teenage sensation has stopped all of his opponents in four rounds. He recently knocked out Giovanni Gutierrez in the first round in May during his MVP debut at lightweight.

For five fights, Paul has been in the ring with other athletes that weren't known boxers. That conversation was going to end with him fighting Fury, now fight Rahman Jr. instead, that window is closed shut, win or lose for Paul as he takes on the son of Hall of Famer Hasim Rahman.