Jake PaulThe fight with Hasim Rahman Jr has been canceled, with the YouTuber targeting his opponent, calling him “unprofessional.”
The fight was scheduled for August 6 at Madison Square Garden in New York, but a problem over Rahman’s weight has resulted in the fight being canceled.
A statement from Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) said that, despite the fight originally set at 200 pounds, Rahman planned to weigh 215 pounds.
Paul’s team said they had already compromised for a 205lb fight but claimed Rahman said he would quit if the fight didn’t come to 215lbs.
The statement continued: “MVP and Jake Paul do not reward anyone who has behaved in such a deceitful and calculated manner.
Therefore, MVP has no choice but to cancel the August 6 event. This forced outcome affects Jake Paul, Amanda Serrano and all the other fighters on this map who have been training tirelessly for this event over the past few months. The boxing community must have Hasim Rahman Jr. liable for his lack of professionalism.’
Paul also shared videos on social media, saying he was “stunned” at the cancellation.
“I can’t fucking believe this, we just found out about this news,” he said, claiming that Rahman was looking for “an excuse to suck more money out of this event.”
“From the jump I knew from the bottom of my heart this man didn’t want to go in the ring with me, it’s as clear as day,” added Paul.
Paul went on to claim that a drop from 215lbs to 205 would be an ‘easy weight reduction’ for Rahman, adding, ‘A 10lb weight reduction for a heavyweight is nothing. This is clearly an excuse.’
He added: ‘The biggest payday of his life turns 10 and he’s screwing it up. for what? Because he knows he’s going to be knocked out by me. The pressure is starting to mount and it’s exactly what happened to all these guys, same thing with Tommy Fury.
“I’m sick of it, I’m devastated, my apologies to everyone on the undercard… this is absurd, I can’t help it. I apologize to the fans and I’ll be back at some point.”
Rahman responded in his own video saying he couldn’t physically get to 200 pounds and that Paul should be blamed for canceling the fight.
“Where do you see in boxing that they cancel fights a whole week in advance?” he said.
“I didn’t even get my last week to get as low as possible. I said [Paul] they are punishments, keep the wallet. I’ll fight you for this $5,000 minimum. That’s how much it means to me and how much confidence I have to knock him out.
“I would have beaten this guy with one hand like I did at the gym. But let him tell you, he was already hitting me in the gym when I was 230 . used to be [pounds]. So if you beat me up when I was 230, what’s the problem with fighting me when I’m 215? What’s the problem with fighting me on 210?
“They obviously don’t want to fight. I’m not withdrawing from the fight. They don’t want to fight. I never said I didn’t want this fight and all I can say is they’re scared.’
Rahman described the weight reduction as an “astronomical feat” and claimed that Paul wanted him to be a “scale of himself” in the ring.
Rahman had jumped in as a replacement after Tommy Fury pulled out of a fight against Paul.
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