UFC legend Michael Bisping has accused Jake Paul of avoiding British Olympian Cheavon Clarke after cancelling his fight with Tommy Fury.
Paul is expected to announce today that he will fight Hasim Rahman Jr, after Fury was forced out of another fight date between the two over a travel issue. He has been pushing to make sure that his August 6 fight night at Madison Square Garden will still go ahead, against a legitimate boxer with a considerable winning record.
But Bisping has reminded him of a heated argument he had with Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn where he agreed to face Clarke, who is 2-0 as a professional. Clarke was one of Hearn's cruiserweights with a 10-0 or below record that Paul claimed he could beat after Hearn mocked him for his hefty claims about his future in the sport.
When Paul joked that his former opponent Nate Robinson, the basketball player who he viciously stopped inside two rounds, was tougher than the fighters he was calling out, Bisping hit back. "Shout out to Nate Robinson," Paul said in a tweet after Fury pulled out for a second time. "The NBA player had more courage than most of these fighters."
But Bisping wasn't having any of Paul's attacks on fighters. The former UFC middleweight champion shared a picture of tumbleweeds with the caption "Chev Clarke is ready and willing to fight."
Paul has not yet confirmed he will face Rahman Jr as yet, but Mirror Fighting understands the deal is done for their fight on August 6. Clarke had tweeted last week when Fury revealed his travel difficulties that he was available, saying: "Yo Eddie Hearn my passport is ready. #NoExcuses," along with an American flag emoji.
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However, Paul has opted to instead go with 12-1 Rahman, with whom he has shared the ring twice in sparring sessions during his early career. The American is a heavyweight, but will likely have to cut a significant amount to make whatever the agreed catchweight is with his former training partner.
The boxer has a more impressive record than Tommy Fury, as well as a more extensive amateur background that includes a fight with former world heavyweight champion Trevor Bryan. But he is coming off a TKO defeat to McKenzie Morrison, and has a considerably smaller following than Clarke, let alone Love Island star Fury.
Clarke turned professional this year after representing Team GB at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic games last year. He was born in Jamaia, but has been representing the UK for years as an amateur before deciding to switch to the paid ranks under Hearn and Matchroom.
