Jake Paul knocked out Andre August in the first roundFriday night at Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida.
A heavy favorite, Paul delivered a powerful right uppercut that sent August to the canvas. The wobbly August could not beat the count at 2:32 of the first round of their cruiserweight fight.
With his first knockout in two years, Paul improved to 8-1.
“I said first-round all week,’’ Paul said during a post-fight interview on DAZN. “I manifested this. This is the power of manifestation.
“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.’’
August fell to 10-2-1.
It was Paul’s first victory against a pure boxer, with his only other matchup against a traditional boxer ending in a split decision loss to Tommy Fury.
Before the fight, Paul looked unusually loose before his ring walk, climbing on his brother’s shoulders as the two laughed.
Jake Paul was in total control
There was never a hint of anxiety from Paul, who paraded into the ring like he was headed for a picnic and winked at August during the pre-fight instructions.
No one needed to conduct a poll to determine the crowd favorite.
Approximately 4,000 fans squeezed into the venue cheered loudly not during Paul’s ring-entrance and his knockout punch, but during the victor’s in-ring interview.
“All I wanted to do was give you a knockout for Christmas,’’ he said, eliciting more cheers.
What’s next for Jake Paul?
Paul said he will make an announcement next week about his fight plans, but Friday night he offered only generalities.
“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.’’
By that, Paul was referring to his rise — leaving the Disney Channel in 2017 and becoming one of the most marketable figures in boxing.
What changed for Jake Paul?
So what’s the difference between Paul today and Paul from a couple of years ago, Ariel Helwani asked while handling the in-ring interview on the DAZN livestream?
“A couple of years ago, I didn’t really have any challenges,’’ Paul said. “I was just beating everybody, not really focused, doing stuff outside of the gym I shouldn’t have been. And now I’m lasered in.’’
He also said, “I found my spiritually. …And that’s changed my whole entire life and staying on the grind, in the gym, consistent.’’
Not that Paul’s spiritual path has led to limitless forgiveness, especially when it comes to his critics.
“Everyone who has something to say about me,’’ Paul said. “Oh, he can’t do this. He can’t sell. He’s not big. What is he doing fighting this guy, fighting that guy? Shut the (expletive) up!’’
Jake Paul vs Andre August highlights: Watch Jake Paul knockout
Round-by-round analysis
Round 1
Jake comes out wearing a white glove on his left hand and a black glove on his right hand. Jake throwing a couple of jabs. Then a left hook. Nothing landing yet. Andre covering up. Andre fires a jab. Not much action yet. Exchange of blows! Andre with a right and Jake with a body blow. Jake lands a right. Jake lands a BIG right uppercut. It’s OVER! Andre can’t beat the count.
Jake Paul fight card results: Franchon Crews-Dezurn upsets Shadasia Green
Franchon Crews-Dezurn upset Shadasia Green with a unanimous-decision victory and won the vacant WBC super-middleweight women’s title and the WBA’s interim belt in the division.
Crews-Dezurn, a 7-to-1 underdog, handed Green her first loss and stifled the hard boxer by spending most of the fight on the attack. Green connected with crisp punches in the later rounds, but by then the fight was all but over.
The judges scored it 98-92, 97-92 and 97-92.
Crews-Dezurn, 36, improved to 9-2-1. Green, 35, fell to 13-1.
Jake Paul aiming for more than win
“It’s been too long without a knockout,’’ Paul said.
How long? Two years and three days, to be exact. On Dec. 18, 2021, Paul inspired a memorable meme after he floored Tyron Woodley in the sixth round and validated his reputation as a knockout artist.
Paul won by TKO against AnEsonGib in his pro debut. In his second fight, he pulverized Nate Robinson with a second-round KO and followed that up with a first-round TKO against Ben Askren. He scored knockdowns in each of his four other fights but no KO victories.
On Friday night, Paul predicts, the three-fight knockout drought will end.
Did Jake Paul really drop Andre August’s coach in sparring session?
Jake Paul claimed Wednesday that he ‘dropped’ Andre August’s coach during a 2022 sparring session.
Did that actually happen?
“I’m going to be all the way honest about it,’’ Justin Deshone, August’s coach and trainer, told USA TODAY Sports Thursday. “In the sport of boxing, if your glove touches the ground, it’s a knockdown, right? So, yeah, that happened. …
“Jake caught me while I was throwing (a punch). I wasn’t hurt or anything. My glove touched the canvas. I had to jump back up, get myself together and get right back on his ass.
“Jake is a tough kid.’’
Jake Paul fight card results: Yoenis Tellez KO’s Livan Navarro
In a showdown of Cuba natives, Yoenis Tellez knocked out Livan Navarro in the 10th and final round of their light middleweight fight.
Tellez knocked down Navarro in the third round and controlled most of the fight.
With the victory, Tellez improved to 7-0 and won the WBA Continental Latin Americas Title. Navarro fell to 15-2.
Jake Paul arrives for fight
With his giant robot in tow, Jake Paul strolled toward the boxing venue wearing all-black attire, a look of confidence and dark shades. He was also accompanied by Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
Jake Paul makes offer to Draymond Green
Striking Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić in the face earned Draymond Green an indefinite suspension from the NBA and an offer from Jake Paul via X, formerly Twitter.
‘Draymond Green hit me up I’ll get you on a card to fight $10 million,’ Paul wrote.
Jake Paul fight card results: Lorenzo Medina KO’s Joshua Temple
Lorenzo Medina, a 19-year-old heavyweight from Hollywood, Florida, knocked out 31-year-old Joshua Temple of St. Louis in the sixth and final round of a heavyweight fight.
In the second round, Medina tumbled to the canvas in a questionable knockdown. Temple appeared to cause the fall when he accidently stepped on Medina’s foot.
But there was no doubt about the knockout blow. Medina floored Temple with a right hand at :29 of the sixth round.
Medina improved to 9-0 (8 KO’s) and Temple fell to 12-3.
Logan Paul arrives for Jake Paul fight
Logan Paul, Jake’s brother, has arrived on the scene with his fiancée, Nina Agdal, and … a championship belt? Yep, that’s what he appeared to be carrying in his left hand.
Jake Paul record
Jake Paul is 7-1 in his boxing career with 4 KO’s.
Jake Paul weight
Jake Paul weighed in at 199.4 pounds. The 26-year-old is 6-foot-1.
Andre August record
Andre August is 10-1-1 in his boxing career with 5 KO’s.
Andre August weight
Andre August weighed in at 198.6 pounds. The 35-year-old is 5-foot-10.
Who is Andre August?
So much for those bulging muscles. So much for the 10-1-1 record with five knockouts.
His past in Beaumont, Texas.
“Man, growing up in the streets, a young Black man, gang banging with a certain hood, fighting over territory,’’ August, 35, told USA TODAY Sports. “It was gun wars back in the days, as a youngster. I could have lost my life, and I thank God for the opportunity to be where I am today.’’
What time is the Jake Paul vs Andre August fight?
The Jake Paul-Andre August card begins at 7:30 p.m. ET from the Caribe Royale Orlando in Orlando, Florida.
Jake Paul vs Andre August live stream, pay per view
The Jake Paul-Andre August card can be seen on DAZN.
Jake Paul vs Andre August fight card
Here is Friday night’s full card, via DAZN:
Jake Paul vs. Andre August (Cruiserweight)Shadasia Green vs. Franchon Crews Dezurn (Title fight: for vacant WBC super-middleweight women’s title)Yoenis Tellez vs. Livan Navarro (Light middleweight)Elijah Flores vs. Javier Mayoral (Welterweight)Zachary Randolph vs. Michael Manna (Light heavyweight)Lorenzo Medina vs. Joshua Temple (Heavyweight)Alexander Gueche vs. Clayton Ward (Super flyweight)
