Ben Askren has responded to criticism over his weight after Jake Paul said he had a 'beer belly'.
Former MMA world champion Askren makes his professional boxing debut tonight, having not fought since 2019.
He tipped the scales at 191lb last night, before he takes on Paul in Atlanta tonight, after finishing his career at 170lbs.
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But he appeared to question Jake Paul's criticism of him, tweeting: "'Cause I'm about to ruin the image and the style that ya used to; I look funky. But yo I'm makin' money, see so yo world I hope you're ready for me."
The pair came to face to face last night, but Paul was critical of his rival's prep.
He said: "I see a guy who's underestimating me, I see a guy who is taking this as a joke and I see a guy who said, 'I have to take a s***' during the face-off.
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"This is the last 24 hours we will all have to hear Ben Askren. This one means a lot for me, this one is for Shadow (Paul's bodyguard).
"I don't believe he makes it out of two rounds; look at the guy, he has a beer belly so he clearly didn't take training camp seriously.
"We all did the talking and the entertainment s*** but now it's time to let the fists fly."
The YouTuber will face Askren tonight, marking the MMA welterweight champion's first professional boxing fight.
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It seems Paul has put his hopes of fighting Conor McGregor on hold and looks forward to stepping into the ring with Askren.
When the fight was announced, he said: "Ben Askren is a two-time NCAA champion, a world champion in two different global mixed martial arts organizations and has less losses on his record than Conor McGregor.
"Me, on the other hand, I started boxing two years ago and I'm still going to knock his ass out faster than [Jorge] Masvidal.pa
"These MMA guys think because they throw punches they know how to box. The world complained because I knocked out a basketball player and not a real fighter.
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"So now I'm giving the people what they want by taking on a 'real fighter.' After Ben Askren is added to my knockout meme collection, what can anybody say?
"Thank you to Triller Fight Club for giving me the platform to once again put a man to sleep. April 17, it's lights out for Askren."
Askren has lost his last two fights, with Jorge Masvidal giving him a savage KO in July two years ago and he submitted to Demian Maia three months later. He won his first fight against Robbie Lawler via submission in March 2019.
Despite the rocky career, Askren reckons he will be able to put Paul in his place.
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Speaking to ESPN, the former UFC star said: "I know Jake Paul is enjoying pretending he is a fighter. I think on April 17 he is going to have a rude awakening to what being a fighter is really like.
"Jake has led a privileged life and doesn't really know what the meaning of being a fighter is. I'm going to put his dreams to an end."
The exhibition event will take place tonight - Saturday 17 April and is being held at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
UK fans can expect the action to get underway after midnight with the card getting going from 2am Sunday morning and the pair likely slated for around 4am.
Featured Image Credit: Twitter
