Freddie Roach was excited when he got the call to help train Ben Askren for his boxing match against Jake Paul.
When the fight was made, Askren began trying to find training partners and coaches to work with. Then, out of the blue, “Funky” got a phone call from Dana White who told him he set up a training session between him and Roach.
”It was a little difficult at first but Ben adapted easily and we focused our time on technique and strategy,” Roach said to MMAFighting. “He knows how to beat Jake Paul and if he sticks to the plan we worked on I believe Ben will win this fight on Saturday. My advice to Ben when we last spoke was: ‘Do what you know and you will win the fight.’
“Ben is so driven. He has a great work ethic,” Roach continued. “He had no problem with trying anything I recommended and gave me everything I asked of him in the gym. He has a lot of power. He’s a helluva guy.”
Although they only worked for a week, Roach says he wishes the call came sooner as he would’ve liked to work with the UFC veteran for his full camp. However, even after just a week training, he’s confident Askren will get his hand raised.
According to Freddie Roach, he doesn’t think Jake Paul is that good, and instead, thinks he has hand hand-picked fights. He also thinks once Askren beats him, it would be a public service for everyone to not have to have Paul apart of the fight game anymore.
“I refer to Jake Paul as the ‘YouTube boob,’” Roach said. “I’ve seen video of him fighting and his press conference with Ben. It’s really hard for me to watch him too long. As far as his boxing skills, I think he’s a product of good matchmaking. To me, he acts like a celebrity trying to be a boxer. I told Ben that beating Jake Paul would be more than a victory, it would be a public service.”
Do you think Ben Askren will beat Jake Paul?
