Ben Askren has admitted Jake Paul earned his respect by beating Tyron Woodley - but dismissed his hopes of winning a world title.
Paul defeated Woodley by a tight split decision in his fifth pay-per-view clash on Sunday night in Cleveland, but found the contest his toughest to date after being rocked in the fourth round.
The pair agreed a rematch in the aftermath of the clash, with Paul insisting that the former UFC champion gets his 'loser tattoo' from their bet agreed in the fight build-up.
And Paul's former opponent Askren believes that a rematch "makes sense" between the pair and that the YouTuber is "way-off world champion level".
“I thought [Woodley] won, I had it score 5-3,” Askren said in an Instagram post. He was more aggressive and landed more critical punches, but Paul has definitely gained my respect.
"I wanted [Woodley] to knock his head off, but he didn’t get it done. It was a really competitive bout and I think it’s pretty evident that Paul has worked hard at this.
"I think the rematch happens because going from the level that Paul is at to a world-champion level is a long way off. It makes too much sense and there’s a backstory.”
Paul defeated Askren in his last professional fight before Woodley, and has declared his ambitions to become boxing world champion even issuing a challenge to the likes of pound-for-pound king Canelo Alvarez and Gervonta Davis.
And the 24-year-old has also been linked with British light-heavyweight Tommy Fury, who he labelled "mediocre" after his unanimous decision victory over his sparring partner Anthony Taylor.
"The guy had nothing to say. he had a mediocre performance against my sparring partner," Paul said. "Tommy Fury is supposed to be this tough bad guy with a legendary bloodline and I got in his face and let him talk."
"I hired him to be here and gave him a chance to shine. Will we see that fight? I will run that s*** easy, it's an easier fight than Tyron in my opinion.
"I've been boxing for 18 months, I haven't been to the dentist, my teeth are crooked, my nose is crooked," he added. "I need to take some time. I'm only 24-years-old, I need to find out who I am, I'm changing a lot."
Paul has also been trying to entice several other UFC star's into the boxing ring in the near future, calling for the likes of Irish star Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz in a match-up.
And his feud with McGregor has continued labelling his career an "embarrassing fall from grace", but remains determined that he would beat the 33-year-old in any "massive fight".
The American fighter has also channelled his inner McGregor by trolling and claiming he had retired, before quickly U-turning on his statement as he continues to try and mock the Irishman.
McGregor has revealed that he would be free to fight Paul later next year, as his current UFC deal only has two fights remaining so could signal his return to the boxing ring.
