Why did the Jake Paul - Hasim Rahman Jr. boxing match get canceled?
In a ‘he said, she said’ discordance, Jake Paul and Rahman Jr blame each other for the cancelation of their bout. What actually happened between the two?
Up-and-coming amateur Hasim Rahman Jr. was set to take on YouTube star Jake Paul on Aug. 6 at the Madison Square Garden, after Tommy Fury withdrew from the fight against Paul. But once again, the stars were not aligned.
According to Paul, “Tommy Fury fumbled and now Hasim Rahman crumbled,” and according to Rahman Jr, “Jake and his “team” canceled this fight.”
Let’s rewind for a second to bring you in on the whole story. Originally, Fury and Paul were supposed to fight in December 2021, but the British man was forced to withdraw from the fight due to severe medical reasons.
Then the bout was postponed and Fury was slated to fight Paul on Aug. 6. However, Fury was forced to cancel the bout for a second time, due to different reasons; the 23-year-old was denied entry to the U.S. ahead of the bout due to his family’s ties with Irish crime boss Daniel Kinahan, who is wanted by the U.S. government.
That’s when Rahim Jr. came in as a replacement that was much anticipated.
Why did the Jake Paul-Hasim Rahman Jr bout get canceled?
In a nutshell, Paul and Rahman were supposed to face off at the cruiserweight limit of 200 pounds, but Rahman could not make that requirement.
Rahman had initially signed a contract to fight Paul at 200 pounds and was going to cut the weight down for this bout. On July 7, Rahman weighed 216 pounds, but vowed to make the weight by Aug. 6. Three weeks later, he was able to lose only one pound, weighing 215 Lbs. That prompted the New York State Athletic Commission to only authorize the fight if it was held at 205 pounds, which Paul and his team agreed to.
And just when Paul sent his offer to Rahman on Friday including “strict penalties should [Rahman] fail to make weight,” Rahman rebuffed the offer and said he planned on fighting at 215 pounds, and they could keep the purse.
That’s when Paul’s promotional team, Most Valuable Productions, made the announcement that the bout was canceled due to Rahman Jr unable to reach the ‘maximum weight’ of 200lbs.
Here is a look at the two fighters making their respective statements about why the bout was canceled: