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Ben Askren’s History in Combat Sports: Has He Boxed Before?

Published 04/14/2021, 12:00 PM EDT

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Ben Askren is one of the most renowned MMA fighters in the world. Despite retiring from the game in 2019, he makes it to the news headlines hassle-free. But over the past few months, he principally broke into the news after he secured a fight with ‘The Problem Child’, Jake Paul.

‘Funky’ will compete in a full-fledged boxing match against Paul this weekend and will look for every possible way to triumph over his foe. But does the former UFC welterweight hold any prior experience in boxing?

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Askren enjoyed a prolific MMA career and claimed world championships in two organizations. He has a hardcore wrestling background and is also a two-time NCAA Division 1 champion. Moreover, he was also a competitor in the 2008 Olympic freestyle wrestling team.

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That said, Askren has never been in a proper boxing match, but has experience of the world with taking up fights inside the cage.

Also, in his extensive MMA career, the Phoenix native showcased a record of 19-2. Throughout his MMA run, ‘Funky’ heavily relied on his ground game rather than entering a slugfest.

Despite knowing his strong and weak junctures, Askren took up an eight-round boxing bout with ‘The Problem Child’. Furthermore, ‘Funky’ is all charged up to provide a dreadful outing to his arch-nemesis in this contest.

Read – ‘He’s Overweight, He Looks Slow, He Looks Sloppy’ – George Kambosos Jr. Questions Teofimo Lopez’s Chin

Ben Askren all prepared to make his first pro-boxing walk

Ever since this fight was announced, the 36-year-old has taken up some grilling boxing workouts. He’s completely transitioned his focus from wrestling to prepare and give it his best shot for the Jake Paul fight.

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He’s unquestionably hooked in millions of MMA fans ahead of this eye-catchy crossover fight. Additionally, a huge chunk of the fans are rooting for him to win this bout. Consequently, ‘Funky’ Askren will have immense responsibilities on his shoulders to stay true to the buzz created around him.

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If he somehow claims a win in this bout, the former MMA star will establish himself as the bigwig face of boxing too.

How excited are you to see Askren in his first boxing bout?

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Written by:

Prathamesh Singh Chauhan

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Prathamesh Singh Chauhan is a Boxing Author at EssentiallySports. He is a graduate from the International Institute of Sports Management who combines his love for sports, particularly combat sports, and his flair for writing and analysis to help him in his day-to-day work. He has prior professional experience with sporting organizations such as Star Sports, Khelo India, and NBA.
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