Exclusive to Infobae from The New York Times.
Next month, Jake Paul will have the opportunity to prove that he is not a fan of boxing.
Paul Hashim Rahman Jr., son of former heavyweight champion Hashim Rahman, will face off on August 6 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Rahman, who scored 12-1 as a professional fighter, was a last-minute addition to the bottom card after Paul’s fight with Tommy Fury was called off because Fury was not allowed into the United States.
Paul, 25, rose to fame as a social media star but steered his career toward professional boxing. He has a 5-0 record, but many in the boxing world see him as a fraud because he’s never fought anyone with professional boxing experience (adversaries include mixed martial arts fighters, YouTube and Nate Robinson). former NBA player). Throughout his career, he sparked controversy through pranks and stunts and was accused of sexual misconduct by other social media influencers. Jake denied the allegations.
Paul’s boxing career exists largely due to his celebrity status, and he has signed deals with Triller and Showtime Sports for television and to promote his fights. The scheduled fight with Fury, who was 8-0 as a professional, was supposed to help Paul establish himself as a boxer. However, he still has this chance against Rahman, who is considered a more difficult opponent.
They will fight in the cruiser weight category, which means that both fighters must weigh less than 91 kg. Abdul Rahman has previously fought as a heavyweight.
After announcing last week’s fight with Abdul Rahman, Paul spoke to The New York Times about his boxing aspirations, other passions and his favorite pre-fight food.
This conversation has been summarized and edited for publication.
s: These days I’m posting a video In which I went out to train with Hashem Rahman Jr. a while ago, and in which They argue vigorously. then, Aren’t they friends
A: Not at all. After that training session, he told me, “You’re not going to go far in this sport. You’re a YouTuber. You’re not going to do anything. I’m going to hit you,” blah, blah, blah, pure insults. That’s why since that day I wanted this fight. I counted the minutes to answer him with my fist.
Q: So, just to clarify, we’re not talking about a friend doing you a favor. Are they really unsupported?
A: That’s right, that’s what I need to fight someone. I don’t want a nice, polite fight. This is boring, do you explain? I like to fight someone who doesn’t really respect me. That way, they have value when I take them out.
s: Since when was that sparring session?
A: Two years ago.
s: Did you feel that you had the upper hand?
Q: It has been closed. Anyone can win. And that’s why my agent asked me, “Well, if a fight match is so close together, why do you want to fight this fight?” And the answer is I think in the last two years I’ve become a better fighter than I’ve been in two years. I think I’ve worked a lot harder in the last couple of years. I think I devoted myself more. That’s why I know that this time I can go and take him down.
s: What I saw what makes you think that?
A: I haven’t seen much of it. I don’t care about my opponents. I know what I can do and the dedication I put in the gym every day, and I know it’s unmatched. I know how hard training is. There is no way someone like me could have prepared. Recovery, diet, stretching, yoga, meditation, strength and conditioning, sparring matches, rounds, it all adds up, and each of these things I do really well, to the highest level possible.
s: where do you train
A: I train in Puerto Rico.
s: Do you follow a different diet when preparing for battle?
A: Well, it’s a fairly simple diet, but I have my own chickens here so I can have fresh eggs every day. I eat raw liver, raw marrow. Then salmon, beef steak, chicken, all the usual stuff. But I eat very clean and fat-free. From time to time I eat some candy for fuel. This drives me crazy! I get my best workout when I eat some candy beforehand.
s: What kind of candy do you eat before exercise? Does it really improve your performance in training?
A: Yes because it contains a lot of glucose and muscle which burns sugar and glucose. I eat things like Nerds Gummy Clusters, SweeTarts candy strips, and Sour Patch Kids chewy candy. These are some of my favourites.
s: Is this before every workout?
A: Before every match he sparred.
s: So, are you going to eat some nerds before the fight with Hashem? Did you eat Nerds or any other sweets before your previous fights?
A: Maybe yes. In some of the fights I’ve done. It was the fights where I felt the best. However, it will depend on how I feel at the time. If I feel my stomach is ready, I will take it.
s: Have you ever thought about choosing a match with Tommy?
A: If they want to pay me a lot of money to go to the UK, that’s fine. They can pay me my fee. I’d be more than happy to come there, but I’m sick of running the event using my money to pay everyone involved, only to get Tommy back. It’s annoying.
s: Your brother Logan just signed a contract with WWE. Have you ever thought of doing something similar?
A: Yes and no. I went to a WWE event as a guest. But now I’m so focused on boxing, I don’t want to jump off the rope and get injured and never be able to box again.
s: What are your goals in boxing? If you could look into the future five years, what would you want Jack Paul to achieve by then?
A: Simply create great historical matches and fight the best in the world. and changing the paradigm by which battles are promoted and organized. I want to show the next generation of boxing fans what it means to be wild and kick the guys out. In fact, in the end I want to become the Light Heavyweight World Champion. Just to say I made it. To be able to say that the seashell collector became the world champion in light heavyweight boxing would be a lot of fun.
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