Jake Paul on Conor McGregor: My performance against Hasim Rahman Jr. will probably 'scare him away'
Editor’s note: This article was originally published at MMAJunkie.com.
Jake Paul thinks Conor McGregor will want no part of him after he’s done with Hasim Rahman Jr.
Paul faces Rahman in an Aug. 6 boxing match at Madison Square Garden in New York. It will be the sixth time he will lace up the gloves as a professional.
With a win over Rahman, Paul has continued to set his sights on a superfight with UFC star Conor McGregor, who is not interested. But Paul plans on scoring another knockout, which he thinks would make McGregor think twice about ever entertaining a bout with him.
“If he’s not scared, I’m ready whenever. But he has his boss Dana White that’s in control of him, so he can’t make his own decisions,” Paul told WFAN Sports Radio’s Carton & Roberts. “Even if he wanted to fight me, Dana would have to approve it. I’m my own boss, so I can make my own decisions and can fight whenever I want. … After I knock out Hasim Rahman Jr., Conor will be like, ‘Oh wow, this kid can really fight.’ That’s probably going to scare him away from fighting me.”
Rahman will be the first actual boxer Paul has faced, but the YouTube star’s confidence hasn’t wavered. Despite not being fully respected by his peers, he has big aspirations in the sport of boxing.
“I’m a professional boxer, no matter how you slice it,” Paul said. “I’ve got to prove that on Aug. 6 going up against a professional boxer. But I’ve knocked out UFC champions, superior athletes, sparring in the gym against professional boxers on a daily basis. This is the start of a long career, and I plan on becoming champion of the world one day.”