At Orlando, Florida’s Caribe Royale Resort on Friday night, Jake Paul, 26, from Cleveland, Ohio defeated Andre August via knockout in the opening round.
Paul (8-1, 5 KOs) unleashed a powerful right uppercut that struck August(10-2-1, 5 KOs) cleanly and sent him flying headfirst off the mat. There were only 28 seconds left in the first round when the referee ruled the fight off.
“Set up my shot and he went night night. This is all part of the process, the next step to world champion. Clearly these guys can’t hang with me,” said Paul in media reports.
“I said first-round all week. I manifested this. This is the power of manifestation,” he added.
“And I said I needed to bring back the old ‘Problem Child.’ I’ve been too nice to these people, letting them go into the later rounds. Set up my shot and he went night-night,’’ he continued.
Six of Paul’s fights were crossover bouts against former mixed martial arts competitors. His first defeat came via decision against Tommy Fury, the brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, in his sixth fight.
The fight on Friday night signaled a change in strategy; Paul was matched up to earn experience rather than recognition as he prepared to run for a 200-pound title.
August, 35, a native of Beaumont, Texas, became involved in street fighting because of his gang affiliation when his mother passed away during his sophomore year of high school. Driven by an unwavering determination and an increasing desire to achieve more, he took the pivotal decision to take up boxing.
Paul stated that he would reveal his fight strategy the following week, but on Friday night, he just gave remarks.
“More boxing prospects. More experience. More time in the ring. Under the bright lights staying active. And if the money fights come, I got smoke for them too. But right now I’m focused on being one of the best in the world and creating one of the greatest sports stories in the history of sports,” said Paul.
Paul was referring to his rise, which saw him depart from the Disney Channel in 2017 and emerge as one of boxing’s most recognizable characters.
