Jake Paul boasts that boxing referee “saved” Ben Askren’s life

YouTube star Jake Paul notably knocked out former UFC fighter Ben Askren in round one of their April 17 bout — and he claims that his opponent is only alive due to the efforts of their referee.

Jake Paul is more than a mere YouTuber these days; the content creator has managed to build a successful professional boxing career, first defeating influencer AnEsonGib, then former NBA pro Nate Robinson, and now, Olympic wrestler Ben Askren.

In a shocking turn of events, Paul managed to drop Askren in the very first round of their boxing match on April 17 — a match that raked in a reported $65 million.

At the present moment, Paul is basking in both his monetary and fighting success… but he claims that his opponent could have had a far worse time of it, if not for their referee.

In an April 20 episode of the imPaulsive podcast, Paul claimed that he’d intended to do far more damage if Askren had gotten up — but thanks to the ref’s stoppage, Askren only walked away with a banged head and a bruised ego.

• Read More: Ben Askren explains why he “doesn’t regret” Jake Paul fight

“By the way, the ref saved his life,” Paul stated. “I wasn’t even warmed up yet, first of all. When the ref was about to say, like, ‘Go again,’ I was gonna rip his f***ing head off, bro.”

“I was charged up,” he continued. “He would have really become a meme, and he would have left on a stretcher.”

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Logan Paul, Jake’s older brother, wasn’t a fan of the stoppage, claiming that “it was a good stoppage for Ben” but that he wanted to see Jake “destroy” the MMA star.

That’s not all the Paul’s had to say about the matter, either; Jake hopes that Askren and Robinson will duke it out on the undercard of a future fight of his, and even speculated that Robinson might be the winning party out of the two of his defeated rivals.

• Read More: Ben Askren shuts down rumors Jake Paul fight was “rigged”

“I think Nate Robinson wins,” Jake claimed. “He had a little more spunk.”

For now, it’s unclear who Jake is taking on next — but the entire world is waiting for the announcement in wake of his shockingly quick victory over his first “true” fighter.