https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zAWhRuzkvQ

Las Vegas – July 27, 2022 – The verbal jabs continued one week ahead of the Jake “The Problem Child” Paul and Hasim Rahman Jr. mega-fight as Rahman Jr. participated in an open media workout Tuesday night at DLX Boxing in Las Vegas. He wasted little time dissing Paul as a “mockery of our sport” saying he respected Paul’s work ethic, but that he is looking to “expose him for the fraud he is.”

The cruiserweight clash scheduled for eight rounds will take place on Saturday, August 6 live on SHOWTIME PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) from Madison Square Garden in New York City. Tickets can be purchased at www.msg.com.

Here is what the principals had to say Tuesday night: 

Hasim Rahman Jr.

“We’ve had an amazing camp and I just want to thank my team. From my track coach to my strength and conditioning, all my coaches have been there for me. Just taking care of every little thing down to my nutritionist preparing my meals. Everyone is in sync and we’re ready to go.

“There’s nothing Jake Paul does that concerns me. I’m just super confident going into this fight. I feel like this guy is not at my level. He made a mistake picking me.

“Being in Vegas is amazing. My family and I came here because of boxing and we’ve been training for what could be the biggest fight of the year. It’s on me now and I have Vegas on my back. I have a lot of support and this is my home. I love it here. There’s not a better place to be and then to go from here to go to the mecca of boxing next week is just a beautiful thing. It’s poetry in motion.

“Fighting in Madison Square Garden happened so fast – I didn’t think it would happen so fast. But it’s here and I’m ready and I know what I signed up for. We’re going to go in there and make it look easy.

“I respect his work ethic but come August 6 I look to expose him for the fraud he is.

“It’s similar to when my father knocked out Lennox Lewis. He had a target on his back. I’m looking to do the same thing and to get that target on my back so I can fight for a world championship.

“I just have one final message: Jake Paul is going to fall!”

Hasim Rahman Sr. 

“We’re looking forward to knocking Jake out. I feel like when you get a certain status you start feeling you’re invincible. You start thinking you can do it all. But it’s one thing to say something, and another thing to go out there and do it. So when he has to go out and do it, he’s going to realize it wasn’t as easy as he thought it was going to be. Once he wakes up.

“I just feel like we don’t have to look for a KO. I just feel like we have superior boxing skills. His boxing IQ is much great than Jake Paul’s and I just personally feel like the knockout is going to come.

“Timing beats speed. We got the bigger, stronger fighter. We’ve got the reach advantage. We control the distance of the fight. We control how this fight goes. If we want to make it a slugfest, we will make it a slugfest. If we want to make it a boxing clinic, we’ll make it a boxing clinic. It all depends on what style we want to fight. The fight you are going to see will be dictated by us.

“We’re not really concerned with Jake Paul’s power. We don’t need to show how good our chin is. We don’t need to show what his right hand can do. What we can do is take his right hand away from him. We aren’t going to get hit with the right hand, but if we do we are going to fire back with our own counter. It’s going to be an interesting fight. Jake Paul can fight. Don’t get it twisted. But I’m not impressed by the knockouts he’s had. I don’t really feel like he’s knocked out a fighter yet.”

Yoel Judah, Rahman Jr.’s trainer

“I see Rahman Jr. is going to win in the sixth round. He’s confident and he’s doing everything by the book. He wants this fight. Jake made a big mistake.

“We’ve been working on everything. Movement, speed, and mainly stamina. We know he has really good punching power, and legs. So, if we get good stamina, we know we are good.

“Jake has a problem. He’s tried to cripple us to get to 200 pounds, then to not go over 214. The best thing about Jake Paul is he’s probably going to be in great shape. But you’re fighting a real boxer now. Good punching power and good combinations and someone who is not afraid of you and who is going to bring the fight to you.

“I’ve been with Hasim about four, five years. He’s right there. He’s where he’s supposed to be for this fight. I see him three years from now fighting for a world championship.”

The Paul vs. Rahman and Serrano vs. Carabajal event is co-produced by SHOWTIME PPV and Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), a company founded by Paul and Nakisa Bidarian.  Holden Boxing will be the licensed promoter and Paul and Bidarian will serve as executive producers for the event. The pay-per-view telecast is produced and distributed by SHOWTIME PPV. 

SHOWTIME SPORTS^® will bring fans inside the ropes and behind the scenes with its Emmy- award-winning series ALL ACCESS: PAUL VS. RAHMAN, which will premiere this Saturday, July 30. An ALL ACCESS:  PAUL VS. RAHMAN EPILOGUE will follow on August 13. 

For more information visit www.SHO.com/sports, follow on Twitter via @JakePaul, @ShowtimeBoxing and @MostVpromotions on Instagram via @JakePaul, @ShowtimeBoxing and @MostValuablePromotions or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing.

#  #  #

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Paramount, owns and operates the premium service SHOWTIME^®, which features critically acclaimed original series, provocative documentaries, box-office hit films, comedy and music specials and hard-hitting sports. SHOWTIME is available as a stand-alone streaming service across all major streaming devices and Showtime.com, as well as via cable, DBS, telco and streaming video providers. SNI also operates the premium services THE MOVIE CHANNEL^™ and FLIX^®, as well as on demand versions of all three brands. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV^®. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.  

QUINCY, Mass. (July 21, 2022) – Undefeated Pittsfield (MA) heavyweight Quintin Sumpter (5-0, 3 KOs heavyweight is preparing to shock the boxing world August 6th when he fights Jeremiah “Dream Land” Milton (5-0, 4 KOs) ) on the Jake Paul-Hasim Rahman, Jr. undercard, at famed Madison Square Garden in New York City.

“This fight can propel my career,” Sumpter said. “It can be life changing. I know that I need to be a dog on August 6th. I want to show people who don’t know me what I am. It’s surreal. I’m going to shock the world!”

Sumpter was born and grew up in New York City, Brooklyn to be exact, before moving to go to college in 2006. Returning home to fight at arguably the most famous boxing venue in the world, along with gaining added exposure because he’s’ fighting on the Jake Paul platform, is a tremendous opportunity for him.

“Unexplainable,” Sumpter initially responded to a question about fighting at MSG. “So many big fights have been at Madison Square Garden. I never thought that I’d be able to show my talent there. I never really thought I’d fight at Madison Square Garden.

“Whether you agree on not, Jake Paul is a boxer once he steps into the iron ring, and he is bringing a lot of attention to boxing.”

“When the opportunity was presented to Quintin and his trainer,” Granite Chin Promotions president Chris Traietti remarked, “they jumped on it. Quintin has developed that AAA mentality (anyone, anytime, anyplace) that separates him from the pack. In his 6th pro fight, regardless of the outcome – I have all the confidence in the world he is going to win – he has accomplished more than 90-percent of the people who turn pro in New England. He is the type of guy that makes a promoter’s job easy. He can fight and he wants to fight, real fights, not these fluff fights like so many others want to boost their fragile egos on social media. I’m proud of him and after August 6th, the boxing world is going to know who Quintin Sumpter is.”

The 6’ 0”, 220-pound Sumpter will be much smaller, physically speaking, than the 6’ 4”, 230 lbs. Milton, who was a defensive end on Northeastern State University’s football team. Sumpter, however, doesn’t care if he’s fighting at a size disadvantage against Milton.

“I’m not really concerned,” Sumpter spoke about being smaller than Milton. “I train with people a lot bigger than him. I’m light on my feet and move well. I’m not concerned with him. Once we step into the ring, he has to deal with me.”

Sumpter vs. Milton is scheduled for 6 rounds.

INFORMATION:

Facebook.com/GraniteChin

Twitter: @Granite_Chin

Instagram: @chinchekker_qt

NEW YORK – July 21, 2022 – Two of boxing’s most exciting prospects, Ashton “H20” Sylve and Brandun Lee, will highlight the SHOWTIME PPV undercard on Saturday, August 6 (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) co-headlined by Jake “The Problem Child” Paul vs. Hasim Rahman Jr. and Amanda “Real Deal” Serrano vs. Brenda Carabajal live from Madison Square Garden. Tickets are on sale and available at www.msg.com.

Teenage sensation,18-year-old Sylve (7-0, 7 KOs), and knockout artist Lee (25-0, 22 KOs) will make their SHOWTIME PPV and Madison Square Garden debuts against stern competition. Sylve, of Long Beach, Calif., will face the durable Braulio Rodriguez of the Dominican Republic in an eight-round lightweight bout, while the 23-year-old Lee, of La Quinta, Calif., will face Will Madera in a 10-round super lightweight bout opening the pay-per-view telecast.

Sylve, the first prospect signed by MVP, is facing an experienced opponent in Rodriguez, who is 20-4 and has scored knockouts in all but three of his victories thanks to his aggressive and big-swinging style. When he’s lost, it has come against top-flight opposition. Rodriguez has shared the ring with lightweight contender Ryan Garcia and title challenger Christopher Diaz. He dropped a split decision to then undefeated prospect Alberto Mercado and surrendered a unanimous decision to then unbeaten Carlos Diaz –the first blemish of his career after scoring 15-straight knockouts to start his pro campaign.

In Sylve, Rodriguez is facing an elite talent. The undefeated teenage sensation has stopped all of his opponents in four rounds or less, demonstrating hair-trigger reflexes, high boxing IQ and heavy hands. He recently knocked out Giovanni Gutierrez in the first round in May in his MVP debut at lightweight. He fought three times in 2021 and twice thus far in 2022. A gifted amateur who turned pro at 16 with over 100 wins and 10 national titles, Sylve first entered the public consciousness as an eight-year-old when a training video made by his father, Ivan, went viral and led to an invite to Floyd Mayweather’s famed gym in Las Vegas. 

Lee is also no stranger to turning heads with his athletic achievements. The winner of 15 of his last 16 fights by knockout, Lee has shown both one-punch power and the ability to outbox his opponents. He recently dominated tough veteran Zachary Ochoa in April and has quickly established himself as a force at 140 pounds. The child of a Mexican mother and Korean father, Lee has emerged as a vocal spokesperson for the Asian-American community.

Trained by his father Bobby, Lee has kept up a busy schedule, fighting four times in 2020, three times in 2021 and now twice in 2022. He was also an accomplished amateur, going an estimated 195 amateur fights with only five losses and capturing gold at the prestigious 2015 U.S. Junior National Championships at 145 pounds.

Co-headlining the night of action on August 6 are Paul (5-0, 4 KOs) and Rahman Jr. (12-1, 6 KOs), who will meet after erupting during the July 12 kick-off press conference over who was the better man during sparring sessions they had in 2020. The son of the former two-time heavyweight champion, Rahman Jr. had approximately 100 amateur fights and has trained under boxing sages like Emanuel Steward, Calvin Ford and now Yoel Judah, father and trainer of the former two-division world champion Zab Judah. Rahman Jr. is undisputedly the first full-fledged boxer that Paul has faced. 

The Sports Illustrated 2021 Breakout Boxer of the Year, Paul is coming off one of the best knockouts of last year when he demolished Tyron Woodley in the sixth round with a perfectly placed right hand that went viral and was the No. 1 trending video worldwide on YouTube following their December 18 bout. A YouTube star and influencer-turned-pro boxer, the Cleveland native, who is just 25 and started his pro boxing journey in January 2020, is fighting out of Puerto Rico under the tutelage of Danny Smith and B.J. Flores.

The other half of the dual main event features seven-division women’s champion Serrano, (42-2-1, 30 KOs) of Brooklyn, who will defend her featherweight titles against Argentina’sCarabajal (18-5-1, 9 KOs) in a 10-round dual main event. Serrano made history in April when she and Katie Taylor were the first women to headline a main event at MSG in a lightweight bout. Now she returns to her natural weight in front of her hometown fans.

The Paul vs. Rahman Jr. and Serrano vs. Carabajal event is co-produced by SHOWTIME PPV and Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), a company founded by Paul and Nakisa Bidarian.  Holden Boxing will be the licensed promoter of the event and Paul and Bidarian will serve as executive producers for the event. The pay-per-view telecast is produced and distributed by SHOWTIME PPV. 

SHOWTIME SPORTS^® will bring fans behind the scenes and inside the ropes with its Emmy^® Award-winning series ALL ACCESS. ALL ACCESS: PAUL VS. RAHMAN will premiere on Saturday, July 30 at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT with ALL ACCESS EPILOGUE premiering on Saturday, August 13. 

For more information visit www.SHO.com/sports, follow on Twitter via @JakePaul, @ShowtimeBoxing and @MostVpromotions on Instagram via @JakePaul, @ShowtimeBoxing and @MostValuablePromotions or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Paramount, owns and operates the premium service SHOWTIME^®, which features critically acclaimed original series, provocative documentaries, box-office hit films, comedy and music specials and hard-hitting sports. SHOWTIME is available as a stand-alone streaming service across all major streaming devices and Showtime.com, as well as via cable, DBS, telco and streaming video providers. SNI also operates the premium services THE MOVIE CHANNEL^™ and FLIX^®, as well as on demand versions of all three brands. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV^®. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.  

New York – July 13, 2022 – Jake “The Problem Child” Paul and Hasim Rahman Jr. didn’t waste any time expressing their dislike for each other during a heated and at times frenzied press conference on Tuesday, vowing to knock the other out ahead of their cruiserweight clash scheduled for eight rounds on Saturday, August 6 live on SHOWTIME PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) from Madison Square Garden in New York City. Tickets went on sale at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday and can be purchased at www.msg.com. The press conference was streamed live on the SHOWTIME SPORTS YouTube channel and Jake Paul’s YouTube channel.

For the first time in his colorful and storied career, Paul (5-0, 4 KOs) will take on a full-fledged boxer in Rahman Jr., who is 12-1 with six knockouts, had around 100 amateur fights and has been trained by such greats as Emanuel Steward, Calvin Ford and now Yoel Judah.

Just four months after her epic match with Katie Taylor at Madison Square Garden, Brooklyn’s seven-divisionworld champion Amanda “Real Deal” Serrano will return to the same venue and to her natural weight to defend her Featherweight World Titles against the hard-hitting Argentine Brenda “La Pumita” Carabajal co-headlining the event on August 6. 

Serrano was on hand on Tuesday and said she was looking forward to fighting at 126 pounds after she fought Taylor in April at 135. Rounding out the SHOWTIME PPV undercard are separate bouts involving two of the sport’s most exciting prospects — unbeaten knockout artist Brandun Lee (25-0, 22 KOs) and quick-fisted Ashton Sylve (7-0, 7 KOs).

The press conference was hosted by the combat sports expert Ariel Helwani, who guided the heated back-and-forth discussion between Paul and Rahman Jr. Their animosity stems from sparring sessions they held before Paul’s first two fights in 2020 and who got the upper hand in that action. Rahman claims he only used one hand in the sparring in an effort to work with him. Paul referenced leaked footage of their sparring in which Paul appears to land a number of heavy blows to demonstrate the action was heated and not at all controlled. Rahman Jr. claims the footage was edited to make Paul look good. 

The subject of Paul’s boxing resume also came up with Rahman stating that Paul built his career off of pummeling former MMA and NBA athletes. “That’s why your next on the list,” Paul responded. “That’s why I’m fighting you.” Hasim Jr. was flanked on the dais by his famous father, the former two-time heavyweight champion, Hasim Sr., who rose to prominence knocking out Lennox Lewis in 2001 in South Africa to become the unified titleholder. Paul referenced Rahman Sr., saying he wouldn’t be able to fight his son’s battle on August 6.

“You’re not in the ring sir,” Paul said. “And that’s what your son doesn’t understand. He thinks he’s you and that’s his biggest mistake and on August 6 I’m ending the legacy that your whole family has.”

Here’s a sampling of what the participants had to say at Tuesday’s press conference:

Jake Paul

“He’s going to get beat up by a singer, a musician, a seashell collector, an amateur, a Disney boy, a YouTuber, I’m all of these things.”

“I beat him in sparring and he knows that too. We have the footage.”

“You’re probably a little nervous about what happened (when we sparred). But under the lights with 10-ounce gloves is going to be different. That’s why I do this sport. I don’t do this sport to spar, I do this sport to fight and when he gets under the lights at Madison Square Garden in front of 20,000 fans, you’ll see what the result is.”

“It’s bring-your-kid-to-work day.”

“We know he’s going to come out southpaw so it’s me fighting a southpaw for the first time. But other than that, nothing really changes in my preparation. I spar professional fighters in the gym all the time, two to three times a week for the past three years, guys way better than him, so nothing really changes. We’re prepared for this.”

“You got beat (in sparring) and you know it.”

“This is 100 percent a tougher fight (than facing Tommy Fury). This is what I do. I take hard challenges and challenge myself more and more and increase the level of opposition and give the fans what they want. People say fight a real boxer – here we go. This guy is bigger than me, he has more experience. There’s no reason that I should win this but I’m proving to the world and proving to the kids out there that if you truly put your mind to something and you’re dedicated, then you will win.”

Hasim Rahman Jr.

“This is such a huge opportunity for me. I never once second-guessed or even doubted the outcome of this fight.”

“I’m the one giving you credibility. None of your other opponents gave you any credibility.”

“I’m here to end this façade that he’s calling a career so we’re going to see on August 6^th Jake Paul fall. You’re definitely going to see that.”

“They put the footage that they want to put out. Did you put out footage where you turn around and ran away from me in the ring? You turned your back and ran. You’re going to see on August 6^th.”

“Who have you fought? You haven’t fought anybody. You fought champions in the NBA and MMA but no boxers.”

“I will be using both hands on August 6. I only used one hand when I sparred him. He can’t even spar anyone with one hand. He’s not even on my level. I boxed this man with one hand behind my back and I promise you he turned his back and ran from me. I was trying to help you. He’s definitely barking up the wrong tree. I’m going to mess you up.”

“I think that I haven’t reached my full potential yet and that I can definitely have performed better in all of my fights, so on August 6 we’re going to come fully prepared.”

“I’m not worried about the weight. I was just in camp for a fight and then I got right back into the gym. The weight is not a factor. I’ve fought at 200 pounds for years in the amateurs, so losing the weight is exciting for me. It will open some doors for me in the boxing ring.”

Amanda Serrano

“I’m truly honored to have such a fast turnaround. The fight with Katie Taylor was a huge event, not just for females but for boxing in general. I’m super happy to be back at MSG with my manager Jake Paul and we get to show the world that we’re fighters and he gets to take off his promoter turtleneck and put on his boxing boots to show that he’s a fighter as well.”

“These (featherweight belts) are my babies. I work super hard for these belts. I went up to 135 my last two fights to get this fight with Katie Taylor. I’m not a legitimate 135-pounder. I’m a featherweight and that’s why I need to defend these titles and after this one it’s onto the next one against the other champions.”

“Jake Paul is fighting Hasim Rahman Jr. for a reason. We’re so much alike in the game of boxing, and I know he has all the heart and courage to go out there and do it. He’s training as if he’s fighting for a world title, so I have all the faith in his work ethic and he has that hammer and that hammer can neutralize any opponent.”

Hasim Rahman Sr.

“I’m excited like everyone else. I just don’t know how I’m going to feel when Jake’s 100 million fans hate my son (when he beats him). They’re going to hate him.”

“I think he’s been disrespectful (looking past my son) because – Jake is a real fighter and we respect that. I just think that he’s moving too quick. I think he picked the wrong guy at the wrong time.”

Stephen Espinoza, President of SHOWTIME SPORTS

“Jake could have taken an easier touch. But that’s not him. After Tommy Fury pulled out of the fight, Jake went looking for an even bigger challenge and they found a tougher challenge than they probably should have taken, someone who’s bigger than Jake, more experienced as an amateur, more experienced as a pro. Why take a fight that almost everyone around you is telling you not to take? Well, there’s one reason, Jake Paul is on a mission to prove himself as a credible professional boxer. And what he’s doing is unprecedented.”

“Strip away his celebrity status and his success as a content creator and what he’s striving for is no different than any other professional boxer. It’s no different from what Hasim Rahman is striving for – for credibility and respect, working to improve his skills and to put it all on the line on one night in front of a massive crowd here at The Garden.”

“Vasiliy Lomachenko did something similar, he headlined the Garden in his sixth professional fight at 5-1. But Jake’s doing it one fight sooner, headlining a Pay-Per-View event, and doing it without the benefit of 400 amateur fights and two gold medals. What Jake is doing is remarkable. But more importantly, you can’t call what he’s doing a hobby or a fad or a stunt. This is a full-time profession for Jake, a full commitment, boxing is now his calling card and No. 1 pursuit.”

“Jake clearly moves the needle like no one else and we at SHOWTIME are proud to be in business with him and he’s clearly bringing the sport to a new audience. The same can be said of Amanda Serrano, who inspires multitudes of young girls every time she fights. We’re proud to have Amanda back on SHOWTIME. We’re proud of our history with women’s boxing and proud to have Amanda back for a fifth time.”

Joel Fisher, Executive Vice President at MSG

“We here at The Garden are incredibly honored to host this fight between Jake Paul and Hasim Rahman Jr. Jake is an incredibly great partner. He’s really into the business of boxing and he’s a real supporter of women’s boxing, but we also know that Jake is into boxing himself and he’s really passionate about it, and I’m sure he’s in tremendous shape.”

“I want to welcome Hasim here and I want to personally thank you for stepping up quicky and stepping down in weight and we appreciate everything that you’re doing.”

“You’re following in your father’s footsteps who fought here and won in 2004.”

“The promotion we had with Amanda and Katie a few months ago was tremendous. It was historic. It was one of the greatest nights of boxing that we’ve ever had here at The Garden. Amanda is one of the best people, boxers, that I’ve ever worked with. She’s just been tremendous and we know that she’ll be ready.”

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The Paul vs. Rahman and Serrano vs. Carabajal event is co-produced by SHOWTIME PPV and Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), a company founded by Paul and Nakisa Bidarian.  Holden Boxing will be the licensed promoter of the event, and Paul and Bidarian will serve as executive producers for the event. The pay-per-view telecast is produced and distributed by SHOWTIME PPV. 

SHOWTIME will bring fans inside the ropes and behind the scenes with its Emmy- award-winning series ALL-ACCESS: PAUL vs. RAHMAN, which will premiere on July 30. An ALL-ACCESS Epilogue will follow on August 13. 

For more information visit www.SHO.com/sports, follow on Twitter via @JakePaul, @ShowtimeBoxing and @MostVpromotions on Instagram via @JakePaul, @ShowtimeBoxing and @MostValuablePromotions or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Paramount, owns and operates the premium service SHOWTIME^®, which features critically acclaimed original series, provocative documentaries, box-office hit films, comedy and music specials and hard-hitting sports. SHOWTIME is available as a stand-alone streaming service across all major streaming devices and Showtime.com, as well as via cable, DBS, telco and streaming video providers. SNI also operates the premium services THE MOVIE CHANNEL^™ and FLIX^®, as well as on demand versions of all three brands. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV^®. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.  

EW YORK – July 8, 2022 – SHOWTIME SPORTS^® and Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) today announced that international superstar Jake “The Problem Child” Paul will dramatically step up his level of competition when he faces heavy-handed Hasim Rahman Jr., son of the legendary former two-time heavyweight world champion Hasim Rahman, on Saturday, August 6 live on SHOWTIME PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) from Madison Square Garden in New York City in a cruiserweight bout scheduled for eight rounds. Tickets will go on sale July 12 at 1 p.m. ET and can be purchased at www.msg.com. 

Paul and Rahman Jr. will go face-to-face for the first time since the announcement of the fight at a press conference on Tuesday, July 12 at 1 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden to preview their highly anticipated showdown. Amanda “Real Deal” Serrano will be in attendance as well to address her upcoming Unified Featherweight World Title defense against power-punching Argentine Brenda “La Pumita” Carabajal co-headlining the event on August 6. The press conference will stream live on the SHOWTIME SPORTS YouTube channel and Jake Paul’s YouTube channel.

Rounding out the SHOWTIME PPV undercard are separate bouts involving two of the sport’s most exciting and rapidly rising prospects. Unbeaten knockout artist Brandun Lee (25-0, 22 KOs) and quick-fisted Ashton Sylve (7-0, 7 KOs) will look to take the next steps in their accelerated developments before Paul and Rahman Jr. settle their differences, and Serrano defends her Featherweight belts.

“Fury fumbled the bag for the second time in a row and went into hiding, so I’m going to step up, again, and take on a new opponent on short notice,” said Paul. “Nothing but respect for Hasim Rahman Jr., a professional heavyweight boxer with a 12-1 record who comes from a legendary boxing family. He’s bigger, he’s stronger and he’s more experienced. But guess what? I’m crazier. I’m raising the stakes and on August 6, I will get my respect under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.”

The 6-foot-3 Rahman Jr., who has fought as heavy as 278 pounds and has campaigned exclusively at heavyweight in his pro career, steps in for Tommy Fury, who withdrew from a bout with the famous influencer for the second time in eight months.

“Jake Paul and I sparred two years ago and let’s just say I took it easy on the kid,” said Rahman Jr. “August 6 is not a sparring session. I am going to separate him from God’s conscience. My name is Hasim Rahman Jr., and I am going to knock out Jake Paul. Period.”

Paul (5-0, 4 KOs) and Rahman Jr. (12-1, 6 KOs) are familiar with one another from their days as sparring partners. Rahman Jr. helped Paul prepare for his pro debut against AnEsonGib, which Paul won in spectacular fashion via first-round knockout in January 2020. When Rahman Jr. sparred Paul again to help him get ready for his second fight against the NBA slam dunk champion Nate Robinson later that year, Rahman Jr. praised his opponent for improving both his technique and punching power. Paul detonated a right hand that knocked Robinson out in the second round of their bout.

Rahman Jr. is inarguably the most experienced boxer on Paul’s professional resume. Rahman Jr. studied his craft under the tutelage of famed trainers like Emanuel Steward and Calvin Ford, learning how to fight ambidextrously, something his famous father never did. After growing up in the sport, Rahman Jr. amassed around 100 amateur fights, winning the prestigious Junior National Golden Gloves and Junior National Police Athletic League championships. Rahman Jr. turned pro in 2017 and jumped out to a 12-0 record with six knockouts, showcasing deft footwork and heavy hands.

In his most recent bout in April, however, Rahman Jr. was stopped controversially in the fifth round by James McKenzie Morrison, son of former heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison. When the referee waived off the fight with Rahman Jr. on his feet, Rahman Jr. complained bitterly in the ring that he should have been allowed to continue against Morrison, who improved to 20-0-2 with 18 KOs.

Now, Rahman Jr. steps into this high-profile SHOWTIME PPV main event bout at Madison Square Garden with hopes of notching a turnaround win in the same fashion as his famous father and namesake. After suffering knockout losses in 1998 and 1999, Rahman stormed to prominence in 2001 when he decked Lennox Lewis with an overhand right in the fifth round to win the Unified Heavyweight World Championship in South Africa. In 2005, Rahman became a two-time heavyweight champion when he won a vacant title against Monte Barrett.

Lee, 23, has won 15 of his last 16 fights by knockout and has shown both one-punch power and the ability to out-box his opponents. He most recently dominated tough veteran Zachary Ochoa in April and has quickly established himself as one of the most talented 140-pounders in the division. 

Sylve, 18, is the first prospect signed by MVP and already finds himself boxing on the biggest stage in the world at Madison Square Garden on SHOWTIME PPV. The undefeated teenage sensation has stopped all of his opponents inside of four rounds with his quick-trigger reflexes, high boxing IQ, and heavy hands. He recently knocked out Giovanni Gutierrez in the first round in May during his MVP debut at lightweight.

The Paul vs. Rahman and Serrano vs. Carabajal event is co-produced by SHOWTIME PPV and Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), a company founded by Paul and Nakisa Bidarian.  Holden Boxing will be the licensed promoter of the event, and Paul and Bidarian will serve as executive producers for the event. The pay-per-view telecast is produced and distributed by SHOWTIME PPV. 

For more information visit www.SHO.com/sports, follow on Twitter via @JakePaul, @ShowtimeBoxing and @MostVpromotions on Instagram via @JakePaul, @ShowtimeBoxing and @MostValuablePromotions or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing.

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