COMMENTARY: Jake Paul defeats Ben Askren in a successful Triller Fight Night

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Photo credit/ Courtesy of the Official Triller Facebook Page

Jake Paul and Ben Askren face-off during Triller Fight Club at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Max Burke, Sports Editor

This past Saturday, YouTube star Jake Paul took on former UFC fighter and Olympic wrestler Ben Askren in a boxing match. In under two minutes, Jake Paul connected with a swift combination, ending with a devastating overhand right that knocked Askren straight to the mat.

After Askren got up from this blow, the referee pushed Paul back and tested Askren to see if he could continue. He was ordered to take a few steps forward towards the referee, but Askren was knocked loopy as he stumbled forward. The bell rang, and Paul won with a knockout.

This night showed the potential for further interactions between the boxing and the entertainment worlds. Beyond the fighters, Justin Bieber, Doja Cat and other musical guests also drew attention. Additionally, Snoop Dogg and Pete Davidson were on hand to provide commentary.

These famous faces helped to attract new fans to the sport of boxing this weekend. This fight was the best representation of what the sport has to offer. However, it will make some people interested in taking a look at a solid boxing match. Many people will switch over to watch real championship boxing with stars that headlined events in the past.

Besides the attraction of new fans to the sport, many people are speculating who Paul will fight next. He is a very divisive figure. There have been several people calling him out and vice-versa.

However, there are a few people that seem to be likely candidates for a match against Paul. Two people who have a high chance of being Paul’s next opponent are MMA fighter Dylan Danis and boxer Tommy Fury.

Danis and Paul have been chirping at each other for months now. Danis made it noticeably clear that he wants to be the next one to take on Paul. Danis has an undefeated record in MMA and has also gathered a decent-sized social media following. This fight could be intriguing, but I would still put my money on Paul to come out on top. He has proven that he has solid boxing skills. In addition to this, Danis is a solid MMA fighter, but Paul has trained pure boxing much more.

When it comes to Fury, things are vastly different. Beyond the fact that his brother is a World Champion boxer, Tommy currently has a professional boxing record of 5-0. Both Paul and Fury match up very well in height, weight and reach. This fight could be a very tough match for both parties. I even think it would be too soon to try to make a prediction. Overall, this is a fight I would love to see.

Perhaps the one match that could bring in the biggest audience, would be a fight between Paul and McGregor. The amount of trash talk between Paul and McGregor has already been heated, and I would love to see more. If it happens, this fight could be one of the biggest pay-per-view events. This fight would be great for many reasons, but the reason I would love to see this fight would be the reactions to a possible Paul win. Again, this potential match-up is way too early to predict. However, if I had to pick, I would bet on Paul. McGregor is a legend, but Paul is in his prime and training constantly.

Overall, the Paul vs. Askren fight has shown a different side to boxing. After this fight, I believe that the future of boxing will incorporate more high-profile matches and bigger audiences.

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