Jake Paul will no longer be fighting Tommy Fury.
Paul and Fury were set to fight last December but the Brit got hurt and was forced out of the bout. The two were then rebooked for August 6 at Madison Square Garden but recently Fury was denied entry into the U.S.. Now, it appears Paul has replaced Fury with pro boxer Hasim Rahman Jr., the news was first reported by Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix.
Jake Paul is finalizing a deal to face Hasim Rahman Jr. on August 6th, sources familiar with the negotiations told @SInow. Rahman (12-1) is the son of ex-heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman. Paul pivoting away from Tommy Fury, who was denied entry into the U.S. last week.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) July 6, 2022
The news is somewhat surprising given the fact Paul and Rahman Jr. have trained together in the past. The two sparred in the lead-up to Paul’s fight against Nate Robinson and recently sparred again and Paul surprised the heavyweight fighter.
“I kind of expected the same thing that I boxed the first time and that’s not what I got,” Rahman told Sky Sports. “I got somebody that had a better right hand, I had somebody that was actually stepping in with the jab. The best thing about it is – I had somebody that could control his distance. The first time he couldn’t really do anything like that. He was really just fighting. I could just tell that he had heart. Now he’s using his distance better, he’s actually stepping into his jab, instead of just putting it there, and he’s throwing a good one-two.”
Jake Paul (5-0) is coming off the KO win over Tyron Woodley and before that beat the former UFC champion by split decision. He also holds knockout wins over Ben Askren, Nate Robinson, and AnEsonGib.
Hasim Rahman Jr. (12-1) is the son of former heavyweight champ Hasim Rahman and is coming off his first career loss as he suffered a TKO loss to James McKenzie Morrison back in April. He doesn’t have any notable names on his record but will be a tough out given he has a lot more experience than Paul and will outweigh the YouTuber-turned-boxer.
Who do you think will win Jake Paul or Hasim Rahman Jr.?