Jake Paul has slammed critics who are making the 'f****** ridiculous" claim that his fight with Hasim Rahman Jr is fixed.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer has been accused of attempting to fix fights on multiple occasions, despite all five of his professional bouts being sanctioned by major athletic commissions. And he has once again batted down suggestions that he will rig his next event when he faces Hasim Rahman Jr at Madison Square Garden on August 6.
Conspiracy theories about Paul fixing his fight with Rahman Jr began immediately once the fight was announced following Tommy Fury pulling out for visa issues. They stem from Paul having sparred with his opponent twice back in 2020, and the pair seemingly having a fine relationship after the fact.
But the theory forgets the common boxing knowledge that former sparring partners frequently fight, with one recent example being Tyson Fury facing Dillian Whyte for the heavyweight title. And Paul has also insisted that it would be illegal for him to attempt to rig a bout, that could land him in prison.
Asked about the latest theories from fans at a press conference earlier this week, Paul said: "It's f****** ridiculous. It's illegal to do that, first and foremost. Secondly, sparring partners end up fighting all of the time. Look at Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez, Dillian Whyte and Tyson Fury, this is a common thing.
"And they [the Rahman family] have so much pride and ego and there's real tension, you can feel that energy in the room. So anybody who thinks that are obviously the Jake Paul haters that want to discredit anything that I'm doing."
Rahman Jr has also rubbished the claims, detailing how much respect he has for the sport after watching his father Hasim Rahman go through intense battles during his legendary career. The elder Rahman was world heavyweight champion twice, famously defeating Lennox Lewis to win the title in the early 2000s.
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"When my father was fighting Evander Holyfield, he had a hematoma on his head the size of a cantaloupe," Rahman Jr explained. "He put his life on the line in this sport.
"If Holyfield hit that thing, it could have bust open and my father could have died - he really put his life on the line. Do you really think I'm going to disrespect the sport I love, that put me through private school? The sport that has afforded me not to want for anything?
"I've never wanted anything in my life because of boxing. I don't know what it's like to want something because my father put in so much work to this sport and dedicated his life to this sport.
"So in what realm do you think I'm about to go out there and do anything other than put my best foot forward? You're asinine if you think that."
