Ben Askren and Jake Paul face off before their big boxing match (Video)

YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul and his rival, former MMA fighter Ben Askren, stared off at the final weigh-in ahead of their boxing match.

After months of anticipation, Paul and Askren meet this weekend in a huge boxing match. The paydays were released on Friday, with Askren set to take home at least $500,000 for this fight and Paul set to take home a minimum of $690,000. Later in the day, the two fighters made weight, with Paul coming in at 191.5lbs and Askren weighing in at 190lbs. After both fighters made weight, they had their final staredown before Saturday’s fight.

https://twitter.com/SandhuMMA/status/1383185418011734018

This is a big fight with huge implications. For Paul, it’s the chance to become an even bigger superstar if he gets this kind of big-name on his resume. If he goes out there and beats Askren, especially if he knocks him out, then he could convince someone such as Floyd Mayweather or Conor McGregor to give him attention. Even though a lot of people still think that Paul is a joke, he is definitely one of the biggest names in combat sports right now. He has a bigger following than most boxers and MMA fighters, so even if you aren’t a big fan of Paul, it appears as though he’s here to stay for a while.

You can say what you want about Askren’s lack of accomplishments in boxing, but he’s still a highly-accomplished athlete in general and he’s been in the cage with some of the top strikers in MMA. Of course, this is a completely new venture for Askren. He’s never competed in boxing before and it will be interesting to see what kind of improvements he’s made training with the likes of Freddie Roach for this camp. It’s a strange but also intriguing matchup with Paul as a -160 betting favorite, and Askren as a +140 underdog.

Who do you think wins: Ben Askren or Jake Paul?