YouTube creator turned professional boxer Jake Paul was scheduled to box Hasim Rahman Jr. on Aug. 6 at Madison Square Garden, but the fight is off.
On Saturday, Most Valuable Promotions put out a statement confirming that the Aug. 6 event had been cancelled and blamed Rahman for the event termination. (Full MVP Statement)
“Upon receiving this new contract Saturday morning, Rahman’s camp indicated for the very first time that he planned to weigh 215 lbs. at the official weigh-in and would not agree to weigh-in at 205 pounds and informed Most Valuable Promotions that they are pulling out of the fight unless the fight was agreed to at 215 pounds,” read the statement.
The bout was originally supposed to take place at 200 pounds, but was later moved to 205 pounds.
During the UFC 277 Post-fight Press Conference in Dallas on Saturday, UFC President Dana White was asked about the boxing match cancellation.
“I’m going to sit up here and be happy or gloat that their fight fell out. I mean, both of those guys, I’m sure, put in a lot of hard work and training to get ready for this fight, spent money to get ready for this fight,” White said.
“But I will say this, just because you were an accountant here doesn’t mean you know what the f**k goes on here, and doesn’t mean you can run a fight promotion company. I think Jake Paul probably needs to get some different people around him. If he’s going to stay in the sport, he needs to be with guys that actually know how to put on fights.”
White wasn’t buying the boxing promotion’s press release stating that the event was cancelled due to weight issues. He believes that he knows the real reason that the boxing event was scratched.
“I think they sold under a million dollars in tickets and it costs $500,000 to turn the f**king lights on at MSG. That’s what I think. Not to mention the fact that hotel rooms in New York and transportation and everything else is every expensive,” White said.
Jake Paul vs. Hasim Rahman Jr. boxing match cancelled
Dana White: “Jake Paul needs to get some different people around him.”
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