Jake Paul has explained that he felt he had to "beat the f*** out of" Houston Rockets mascot Clutch earlier this month.
The professional boxer and social media star went viral earlier this month when he dropped the bear mascot with one punch during a comical confrontation. He was sitting courtside at the Rockets' home arena; the Toyota Center, when he was invited by the mascot to get into it, and landed a big right hand.
The video was viewed hundreds of thousands of times as Paul knocked Clutch to the canvas, where the mascot stayed for a few minutes before being carried off court. He later posed for selfies with fans and watched on as the Rockets' lost 139-132 to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
"That one was funny," he joked to Mirror Fighting, before putting on a serious face and adding: "Sometimes you've got to just beat the f*** out of somebody, you know what I mean? He was asking for it, it is what it is."
Paul was in Texas to watch his brother Logan make his professional wrestling debut at WWE WrestleMania 38, where he and The Miz defeated Dominick and Rey Mysterio in a tag team match. The YouTuber is now directing his attention towards promoting Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano for the undisputed lightweight title later this month in New York.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer most recently fought in December when he viciously knocked out Tyron Woodley in the sixth round of their hastily-arranged rematch. And since that victory, he believes he can embrace the sillier side of his old YouTube persona again with legitimacy having been gained in the fight world.
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"It finally silenced anyone and any doubters," he said. "That proved my legitimacy and has allowed me to get back to being a bit more silly, quirky and being myself.
"I'm posting a bunch on TikTok, messing around and showing my goofy side whereas for the past two years I was just so focused on boxing that I became a different person. I feel like I can blend the two worlds of the old Jake Paul and the boxing Jake Paul better."
Paul is plotting a ring return in August, with no opponent named as yet despite talks which are ongoing with a number of big name rivals. "We don't have a date in August," he confirmed. "We're talking to a lot of different people, a lot of big names.
"We need someone with that star power, a big name who can bring in a ton of pay-per-view buys to the table, all of my opponents I've carried the promotion and I'm looking for that big name. We need someone who can be a heavy hitter in the space.
