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Jake Paul reckons he singlehandedly saved the sport of boxing.
The sensational sound bite came when the YouTuber sat down with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour.
Shortly after he slammed Hasim Rahman Jr's attempt to renegotiate his contract, Paul said he is boxing's saviour.
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"This is why boxing was such a dying sport before I came into it and literally saved the whole entire sport, basically single-handedly, along with some other heavyweights and some lightweights, but mostly because of me boxing was saved, and I’m starting to realise what the problem was," Paul told Helwani.
Paul then showered praise on UFC President Dana White, despite becoming an advocate for improved fighter pay in the MMA promotion.
"That’s why I give the UFC props, that’s why I give Dana White props, but it pisses me off because I just want to get to the ring and do my f**king job, put on a show for the fans," Paul said.
Unless there is some sort of last-minute mishap, Paul will return to the ring on August 6 for his showdown against Hasim Rahman Jr.
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His opponent agreed to fight Paul after the YouTuber's planned bout with Tommy Fury fell through.
Paul, 25, lashed out at Fury after cancelling his showdown with the UK boxer.
"Fury’s received a termination notice. MVP did everything it could to help him and his team," Paul said on Twitter.
"He wasn’t interested and he literally went into hiding."
"[This is the] second time in a row he has pulled out."
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Paul added: "Second time in a row I’m going to step up and take on a new opponent on short notice."
But Paul already has bigger fish to fry.
The 25-year-old has his sights set on a showdown with UFC champion Conor McGregor, reiterating his hopes to face the Irish fighter on The MMA Hour.
"It’s got to happen. Why not? He’s a businessman, I’m a businessman, and that’s $75 [million] to $100 million for both of us," Paul said.
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McGregor has dismissed Paul's latest attempt to set up a fight, laughing off the 25-year-old's calls on social media.
Responding to a video of the Paul's MMA Hour interview on Twitter, McGregor said: "You’ve 2 fights and done 70k buys," alongside a laughing emoji.
He later added: "You are a flop, kid. A nobody."
Topics: Boxing, Jake Paul, Sport, Conor McGregor
Rachel Lang