Jake Paul knocked out Andre August in the first round on Friday night in Orlando, Florida, to kick off the second act of his boxing career as he seeks to establish himself as a cruiserweight title contender.
Paul (8-1, 5 KOs) landed a straight right uppercut that sent August headlong to the mat. With 28 seconds remaining in the first round, the referee called the fight off.
“I set up my shot, and he went night night,” Paul stated, flanked by his brother Logan Paul, the WWE United States champion. “It’s all part of the process, the next step to becoming a world champion.” These men clearly can’t keep up with me.”
Paul’s first six fights were against former MMA fighters in crossover events.
His sixth fight resulted in his first defeat, a decision loss against Tommy Fury, the brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
Friday night’s fight signalled a shift in strategy, with Paul gaining experience rather than prominence as he prepares to compete for a 200-pound title.
August (10-2-1, 5 KOs) returned in August to win a six-round decision to end an almost four-year absence. The 35-year-old was Paul’s most experienced opponent to date.
“Right now, I’m focused on being the best in the world and creating one of the greatest sports stories in the history of sports: being able to become a world champion from Disney Channel,” he said. “Now I’m lasered in.”
Green is disturbed by Crews-Dezurn.
In the co-feature, Franchon Crews-Dezurn defeated Shadasia Green to reclaim the WBC super middleweight title. The scores were 98-92, 97-93, and 97-93, respectively.
Crews-Dezurn (9-2, 2 KOs) and Green (13-1, 11 KOs) were competing for the 168-pound title, which became vacant after Savannah Marshall, who was injured, was proclaimed champion-in-recess.
