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How Jake Paul vs Ben Askren Is Overshadowing an Important Boxing Card and a UFC Event

Published 04/17/2021, 9:30 AM EDT

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The Jake Paul and Ben Askren event has taken center stage in the combat sports world. The fight between the YouTuber turned boxer and former MMA champion has attracted so much attention that it has overshadowed two other important events.

The two will fight as the main event of a unique card later tonight. And despite the criticism towards the event at the start, everyone seems to be talking about the Paul vs. Askren fight. As a result, there has been very little hype about the two other bouts tonight.

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The 2-0 boxer has claimed he’s one of the biggest names in boxing, and some will argue that this event has proved that. WBO middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade will defend his belt against Liam Williams on the same day. However, very few have spoken about that event.

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This is not the only combat sports event that the Jake Paul and Ben Askren bout has overshadowed. Askren’s time in the UFC may have been short-lived, and ‘Funky’ never became the star he wanted to. However, his fight is now getting more attention than former champion Robert Whittaker’s bout against Kelvin Gastelum.

Why is the Jake Paul and Ben Askren bout getting so much attention?

Given that the event is trending more than a world title bout and an exciting UFC fight, it shows the success of the promotion for the PPV. So why has the Paul-Askren bout attracted more attention than actual high-quality fights?

There are several reasons for this. However, the main reason is Paul’s eccentric behavior. The entire combat sport wants to know whether Paul can cut it with real fighters or is just a hype-job. Moreover, his ambitious call-outs drew a lot of attention.

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Furthermore, Askren’s involvement initially put off a lot of fans. However, since their first meeting, many fans got excited as ‘Funky’ showed his trash-talking prowess. Since then, Askren has also improved his boxing and can pose a genuine test to ‘The Problem Child’.

Therefore, these are a few major reasons the fight is trending higher than the likes of Demetrius Andrade’s bout and the Whittaker-Gastelum bout.

Paul’s incredible social media reach is another reason for the successful promotion, but only time will tell if the event delivers on the hype.

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What do you make of this crossover bout? Do you think the Ben Askren and Jake Paul bout deserves the hype?

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Written by:

Leonardo Carvalho

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Leonardo Carvalho is a Boxing Writer for EssentiallySports. Before working as a boxing web journalist, Leonardo dabbled in roles ranging from an SEO specialist to a Chegg expert. Alongside his current role, Leonardo runs a YouTube channel where he combines his passion for fitness with sports.
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