Jake Paul’s August 6th fight with Hasim Rahman Jr. has been canceled due to apparent weight issues from Rahman’s camp, and the YouTuber isn’t lining up a replacement.
After Tommy Fury was unable to travel to the United States, Jake Paul was left scrambling to find an opponent for the August 6th booking he’d made for an event at Madison Square Garden.
The Problem Child found Fury’s replacement in the form of Hasim Rahman Jr., a Heavyweight and one of his own former sparring partners.
Given that Rahman is a natural Heavyweight, and the fight was scheduled to take place at Cruiserweight, there were a number of concerns that the fight would eventually not happen due to the difficulties in cutting such weight. Plus, the fact there was a rehydration clause preventing the Heavyweight bloating up to a bigger weight. Well, it seems those concerns were pretty valid.
Jake Paul vs Hasim Rahman Jr. canceled less than a week out
On July 31, less than a week out from the clash in New York, Jake’s Most Valuable Promotions brand confirmed that the fight had been scrapped as Rahman is apparently not on course to make the required weight.
According to MVP’s statement on the cancelation, they were allegedly informed by Rahman’s camp that the Heavyweight “planned to weigh in at 215lbs” rather than the 205lbs limit set for the Cruiserweight division.
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“Most Valuable Promotions and Jake Paul will not reward someone that has conducted themselves in such a deceiving and calculated manner,” MVP said in a statement posted to Twitter. “This forced outcome impacts Jake Paul, Amanda Serrano, and every other fighter on this card who trained tirelessly over the past few months for this event.”
#PaulRahman has been cancelled. Refunds for all ticket and PPV purchases will be provided. Full statement below. pic.twitter.com/thnjyjUEMT
— Most Valuable Promotions (@MostVpromotions) July 31, 2022
The YouTuber-turned-boxer took his own shots at Rahman Jr’s late cancelation, while also poking fun at longtime rival Tommy Fury.
“First Tommy Fumbled and now Hasim Rahman Crumbled. These boxers are the most difficult people to work with and continually lack professionalism and confidence to fight me,” Jake tweeted.
First Tommy Fumbled and now Hasim Rahman Crumbled. These boxers are the most difficult people to work with and continually lack professionalism and confidence to fight me. I apologize to all of the of the other fighters on the card, our partners, our team and the fans. https://t.co/0q6MxqG3XJ
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) July 31, 2022
Finding a replacement at such a late date would prove a pretty difficult task, seeing as the New York Athletic State Commission was already pretty choosy about who Jake could and couldn’t fight.
As of writing, Jake has not yet announced any plans for what he may do in the meantime, but keep checking back for updates.