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Ben Askren is continuing to fine-tune his boxing skills ahead of his upcoming pay-per-view match with YouTube star Jake Paul.
The two men will be competing at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on April 17.
Askren, a former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight titleholder, has been documenting his training in the gym for their 8-round, exhibition match which are now including one of the biggest names in the game.
His latest comments focused on his current efforts in Los Angeles where he’s spending time with famed trainer Freddie Roach at the legendary Wild Card Gym.
“I’m trying to be as good of a boxer as I can,” Askren said, via MMA Junkie Radio. “I’m not under the impression that I’m gonna be a pro boxer. I’ve been top 10 in the world in four different sports. I know what it’s like to be world class. I’m not gonna be a world-class boxer, but I don’t gotta be a world-class boxer. I just gotta beat up Jake freaking Paul. That ain’t gonna be that hard, guys.
“I’m only in L.A. for a week, so I’m gonna get as much as I can out of Freddie Roach. I’m gonna pick his brain. So I started training, maybe six weeks it’s been. First couple of weeks was just like strength and conditioning, let me get back in shape because I couldn’t really start training until Dec. 1 because of my hip surgery. I couldn’t do anything until Dec. 1.
“So it’s like, ‘Hey let’s get back in shape,’ so I did a couple of weeks strength and conditioning. I was working with Duke (Roufus) and ‘Cush’ (striking coach Scott Cushman) and Mike Rhodes, former UFC fighter, old teammate who’s been helping me a bunch. And then I brought in this guy ‘K9’ Cornelius Bundrage from Detroit. He reached out on Twitter. He’s been really good. It’s been a lot of fun. So I brought him in twice for a week and I took Sunday off, but before that, I had boxed 18 out of 19 days.”
Paul, meanwhile, is doing part of his training in Florida with UFC star Jorge Masvidal, who nearly decapitated Askren with a flying knee in the now-viral knockout which catapulted Masvidal into superstardom.
In his last appearance inside of the ring, Paul viciously knocked out former NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner Nate Robinson on the Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. pay-per-view.
We’ll have to see if he can find the same success against a real fighter.
The Triller pay-per-view event will come with a $49.99 price tag, according to a release.
