YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul took on former MMA fighter Ben Askren in a boxing match on Sunday. In impressive fashion, Paul was able to win the bout via knockout in less than two minutes.
Paul, who now has a 3-0 record in boxing matches, said afterwards: “This is the craziest moment of my life. I told y’all I was going to do it in the first round. I told y’all I’m a real fighter. I don’t know how many times I got to prove myself that this is for real.”
Scroll through the gallery below to see highlights from the Paul vs Askren boxing match:
While Paul has found more success than other celebrities when it comes to putting on the gloves, he certainly isn't the first famous face to get into the ring. His brother, Logan Paul, another well-known YouTuber, famously faced off against fellow vlogger KSI in a boxing match that ended in a disappointing draw in 2018.
According to Forbes, both earned $900,000 each from the fight. So, it makes sense that the two faced off again in a second bout that saw KSI win via split decision in 2019, considering how lucrative such events can be.
However, not everyone fights just to earn extra income. Adam Saleh, another popular YouTuber, got back into the ring for a good cause in 2019. Competing in Fight Night Yemen We Care Charity Boxing event, Saleh was able to show off the skills that once helped him go undefeated as an amateur boxer when he was younger.
Even Kim Kardashian and members of her clan also got in the squared circle by participating in a charity event called The Kardashian Charity Knockout that was shown on an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians in 2009. While Kim and brother Rob suffered losses, Caitlyn Jenner fared much better with her sport background and won her match.
Watch a clip from the show below:
However, even prior to that, the idea of celebrity boxing matches have always been a bit of a spectacle. In 2002, a television show aired in the US called Celebrity Boxing that aimed to capitalise on that appeal.
Even though the programme only lasted two episodes, the idea was to pit celebrities against each other in exhibition boxing matches scheduled for three rounds.
Participants included disgraced US figure skater Tonya Harding, rapper Vanilla Ice and former Saved by the Bell star Dustin Diamond.
Harding and Diamond even went on to compete in other boxing bouts after appearing on the show.
Harding managed a 3-3 record as a professional boxer before calling it quits because of her asthma, while Diamond appeared in other exhibition bouts.
Scroll through our gallery above to see which celebrities have entered the squared circle.
