Hasim Rahman Jr has claimed YouTube star Jake Paul may not "feel safe" due to their sizeable weight difference.
Paul was set to face Tommy Fury after the pair signed contracts for a second time, but the fight collapsed after his long-term rival was banned from entering the US. The YouTube star will instead face Rahman Jr, who has a professional record of 12-1 in the ring, and also has a significant size advantage over his rival.
The 27-year-old recently used Chris Eubank Jr's potential upcoming fight with Conor Benn to defend the insertion of a rehydration clause in his fight contract with Rahman Jr. He wrote on Twitter : "Conor Benn dirty because he doesn’t want Chris Eubank to have a massive size advantage fight night? No…just wants a fair/safe fight. Rahman can weigh-in @ any weight fight night. 200 weigh-in, 214 at noon fight-day, any weight fight night. Stop making excuses Jr."
Rahman Jr has now responded to Paul's attempted defence, tweeting: "You sound stupid Jacob. Eubank Jr weighed at 160lb his last weigh in. Benn 146.5lb. They are agreeing to meet at 156lb. I weighed 224lb my last weigh in, 24lb is a whole different story. Stop trying to spin the narrative, if you don’t feel safe in there with me just admit it."
The pair exchanged verbal barbs over a rehydration clause Paul has inserted at the press conference, which means Rahman Jr is unable to go over 215lb on the morning of the fight. Rahman Jr has yet to weigh below 211lb in his professional career and recently weighed in at 224lb for his defeat by James Morrison.
Paul weighed in at 191lb for his previous victory over Tyron Woodley and is comfortable making the cruiserweight limit in his fights. However, there is a noticeable size difference in Rahman Jr's favour, which could be a significant disadvantage to Paul in his next outing.
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Having not yet faced a fighter with a natural background in the sport, Paul has come into praise for the selection of his next opponent, who represents a reasonable step up for someone with just five fights under his belt. Paul has fought the likes of former UFC stars Woodley and Ben Askren prior to Rahman Jr and it will likely represent the biggest examination of his credentials.
Despite his opponent's criticism, Paul has revealed that the weight clause was inserted in order for the fight to be sanctioned as a professional contest. "We are fighting at 200lb and he has to weigh in at that on Friday. On Saturday morning, he can weigh up to 215lb and on the night of the fight he can weigh in as much as he wants," Paul confirmed to Morning Kombat.
"The New York State Athletic Commission put this in place because they were worried about him having a crazy size advantage. They almost didn't want to sanction the fight because they were concerned with his experience over mine."
