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Jake Paul scores first-round KO against ex-UFC fighter Ben Askren

Jake Paul's boxing career keeps on growing, and now he has his fastest win yet.

The YouTube star defeated UFC fighter Ben Askren by knockout in the first round of a Triller Fight Club event on Saturday, laying out the mixed martial artist with a hard right rook.

Askren managed to get to his feet, but referee Brian Stutts decided to end the fight despite Askren pleading his case. The fight was called a little more than a minute before the first round ended.

Paul was the aggressor for pretty much the entire bout, with Askren landing few, if any punches. Paul dedicated the win to his security guard Shadow, who died 10 days prior.

"I deserved that s***," Paul said after the match. "This is the craziest moment of my life. I told y'all I was going to do it in the first round. I told y'all I'm a real fighter. I don't know how many times I got to prove myself that this is for real."

"This has been the hardest 10 days of my life. I've had to hold it together to keep this fight going. I'm just honored to be here."

The victory improves Paul's professional boxing record to 3-0, with his previous wins coming against fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib and former NBA player Nate Robinson. Askren opens, and likely closes, his boxing career with a loss, but comes away with a major payday.

Paul entered the match as a strong favorite against the 36-year-old Askren, who holds a 19-2-1 record in mixed martial arts, but was always known as a wrestling specialist rather than a striker.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 17: Jake Paul celebrates after defeating Ben Askren in their cruiserweight bout during Triller Fight Club at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on April 17, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images for Triller)
Jake Paul is 3-0 as a boxer. He remains 0-0 against actual boxers. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images for Triller)

Who will Jake Paul fight next?

The question now is whom will Jake Paul turn to next in his quest to be taken seriously as a boxer. A bout against real, active boxer likely remains out of the question.

Conor McGregor is obviously the big name thrown around, as Paul said earlier this week that he was closer to a fight against the biggest name in MMA than people might think. If not, other MMA fighters are already volunteering for a shot at a Jake Paul payday.

Every demented thing that preceded the Jake Paul-Ben Askren fight

The Paul-Askren fight was the main event of a jam-packed and at times farcical event, which featured more musical performances than boxing matches.

Here's our best attempt at compiling all the ridiculous sights that preceded the bout:

  • a fight between a fitness/nightclub entrepreneur and a reggaeton artist

  • a fight between boxers with a 70-pound weight differential

  • a fight called on a low blow that was, in reality, not a low blow

  • a literal slap fight, judged by Ric Flair

  • repeated promotions for the auction of an NFT of Paul's knockout of Nate Robinson

  • this:

  • more contact high jokes about Snoop Dogg than you'd imagine possible in an evening

  • a clearly inebriated Oscar De La Hoya

  • performances from the Black Keys, Saweetie, Mt. Westmore (Snoop Dogg, E-40, Too $hort, and Ice Cube), Doja Cat, Diplo, and Justin Bieber

  • Bruce Buffer mispronouncing Askren's name as "Ben Askew."

  • Paul entering with this behind him:

Really, the whole thing can be best summarized by a selection of quotes from Davidson as he milled around the backstage and locker rooms:

  • "Today is a really wild day for boxing, because it just shows just how low it's truly sunk."

  • "I think today proves the fact that if you have enough followers, you can truly f***ing do whatever you want. Maybe PewDiePie will cure cancer, and Charlie D'Amelio will become a surgeon. Who knows?"

  • "Tonight, we have a bout between Ben Askren — I don't know who that is, still, and I've been reading up on him all week — and Jake Paul. They both suck, but at least somebody's gonna get hurt."

  • "This is f***ing nuts, dude, what the f*** am I doing? I'm trying to be a serious actor."

  • "I'm thinking I need to call my agent and fire him."

  • [to Paul] "You remind me of when Charlie Sheen went on his winning tirade."

  • "How do you feel being part of this psycho event?"

  • "That's the message we're trying to get to the kids, that he is a piece of s***."

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