The canceled fight between Jake Paul and Hasim Rahman Jr. was supposed to be Paul’s breakthrough into the WBC ranking system. WBC chief Mauricio Sulaiman previously confirmed that Paul would be put into the top 40 cruiserweight rankings if he won.
This fight was scheduled to happen on August 6 at Madison Square Garden, New York. According to the Daily Mail, it was projected to be the hardest fight that Paul would have had so far in his boxing career.
Reports even said that Paul was advised not to take on this fight due to the challenge.
Meanwhile, Rahman has participated in more than 100 amateur fights. In the professional stage, he has accumulated 12 wins and one loss. Six of his wins came by knockouts.
Compared to him, Paul enjoyed a solid record of 5-0. However, his wins came from fights against UFC retirees, a former basketball player, and a YouTube figure. Fans and analysts have warned that facing Rahman would be different.
Paul’s boxing career aspiration
Paul has said on his YouTube channel that he wants to continue winning in professional games and even earn a world title before retiring from the sport.
“But I think right now, going to 10-0, being undefeated, fighting some big names, making history and maybe taking a world championship belt from somebody just to say I did it, and retiring at 10-0,” Paul said.
Being included in the top 40 WBC ranking will make it easier for him to fight bigger opponents. Additionally, it will also boost his chance to join the world championship.
In the video, Paul also said, “The sky is the limit for me right now.”
Controversial fight canceled
A week before Paul vs. Rahman’s fight, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) announced its cancelation.
MVP explained that Rahman did not maintain his weight honestly. The fighter had also requested to shift the fight into a heavier weight class multiple times.
“MVP and Jake Paul will not reward someone that has conducted themselves in such a deceiving and calculated manner,” an MVP representative said in a press release.
Rahman had initially agreed to a 200-pound cruiserweight fight. He submitted the proof that he weighed 216 pounds to the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) on July 7. However, since that first proof, Rahman had only lost one pound.
MVP then offered a new contract for a 205-pound fight but Rahman’s side demanded the weight class to be 215 pounds. After that, the organizer decided to call off the fight. Offline and online tickets to the fight will be refunded.
“The boxing community must hold Hasim Rahman Jr. liable for his lack of professionalism,” the MVP press release said.
“There has been endless work, time and money put into building this event and we want to thank our team, Showtime, Madison Square Garden, Holden Boxing and all our partners for their continued support.”
The release concludes with “Above everything we want to thank our fans for their commitment to the athletes and the sport of boxing.”
In response, Paul took to Twitter to express his disappointment about the cancelation.
“These boxers are the most difficult people to work with and continually lack professionalism and confidence to fight me,” Paul remarked.
“I apologize to all of the of the other fighters on the card, our partners, our team and the fans.”