Jake Paul And Ben Askren Got Into It At Press Conference Ahead Of Boxing Bout

Tensions boiled over a tad during the press conference between Jake Paul and Ben Askren this evening.

The pair meet inside the boxing ring on April 17 and the disdain both men have for one another was evident at tonight's presser for the Triller event.

After trash-talking from both sides, the mandatory stare-down ended with former UFC fighter Askren shoving Paul in the face as he walked away.

Paul retaliated by punching 'Funky' rather weakly in the back and pushing him away.

During the press conference, Paul had trolled Askren by Face-Timing Jorge Masvidal, the man who knocked him off with a flying knee in a record-breaking five seconds at UFC 239.

In the build-up to this fight, Paul has enlisted the help of BMF champ Masvidal as he bids to knock out Askren even quicker than 'Gamebred' did.

'The Problem Child' hit headlines with his brutal knockout of former NBA player Nate Robinson on the Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones undercard in November, moving to 2-0 in professional boxing.

He then called out a number of UFC stars, including Conor McGregor, Michael Bisping and Nate Diaz before agreeing a fight with two-time NCAA champion Askren.

Askren, with his impressive combat sports background, has never boxed professionally but is expecting to earn the biggest payday of his career next month.

"The first time (I was asked about the fight) they didn't offer me money. It was just 'Hey would you be interested?' and I said yeah, I'll think about it," Askren told Brendan Schaub on Food Truck Diaries, as per Bloody Elbow.

"They made me a nice offer, and it was something I wanted to do anyway, so I said sure... It's probably going to be the biggest payday of my career."

He also offered a prediction for when he believes he will put Paul away.

Askren added: "I said seventh round TKO, I think I'll stick with that. I'm not a power puncher, never have been. I've got like the slowest twitch muscle fibers ever on planet Earth, but I can last a really long time, so that's fantastic."

Askren and Paul will lock horns at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, with Justin Bieber and Snoop Dogg among those performing.

Topics: Ben Askren, Boxing, Jake Paul, UFC

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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