Jake Paul has been hailed for his impact on the sport of boxing by the son of heavyweight legend George Foreman.
YouTube star Paul turned his hand to boxing when he appeared on the undercard of brother Logan's first fight with KSI in Manchester in 2018. He went on to turn professional in 2020 and has amassed a record of 5-0, albeit from fights against a fellow social media star, a retired basketball player and two MMA stand-outs.
Paul was due to take a step up in opposition against Tommy Fury in New York next month but will instead take on Hasim Rahman Jr at Madison Square Garden on August 6. And Foreman's son took to social media to lend his support ahead of his toughest test to date.
"Prizefighting at its best." he wrote. "Say what you want, but Jake Paul is making an impact on the sport that is making the pie bigger for everyone. We should all be thanking him. And to be honest I think his skills are underrated and he is turning into a legitimate force to be reckoned with.
"Great footwork (look closely). And let’s not forget what we all know: “Knockouts sell”. Respect to you champ and thanks for honouring the craft by always stepping into the ring as the best version of yourself to date. Keep doing what you're doing. Rooting for you."
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Paul and Rahman Jr have sparred in the past but the YouTuber is confident he will have his hand raised in his sixth paid bout. "This is what I do," he said. "I take hard challenges, I challenge myself more and more with each fight, increase the level of opposition and give the fans what they want. People want me to 'fight a real boxer', here we go.
"This guy is bigger than me, he has more experience, there's no reason why I should win this but I'm proving to the world that if you set your mind to something and you truly believe in yourself and mentally low-key insane, you will win."
