Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren: Salaries Revealed Ahead of Boxing Match

The salaries for the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren fight have been revealed. According to the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission (via MMA Fighting), Paul is set to make $690,000, while Askren’s pay is set at $500,000. That doesn’t include, the percentage of pay-per-view profits each fighter will receive as well as other bonuses.

Paul vs. Askren will be one of the two main events scheduled for Saturday’s event, which will be held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Paul, a YouTube star, will be competing in his third boxing match. He previously knocked out former NBA star Nate Robinson and fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib. In an interview with ESPN in January, Paul said he’s looking to become the best boxer in the world.

“I truly believe that I will become the biggest prizefighter in the world and the highest-paid prizefighter in the world,” the 24-year-old said. “And that is my goal — and I won’t stop for anybody.” While Paul has had success in the very early stages of his career, there are experienced boxers who are not buying into the hype.

“They’re making a mockery of boxing, OK?” ESPN’s No. 1 women’s pound-for-pound boxer Claressa Shields told TMZ. “I just say that because there are so many fighters who deserve to be on that platform under Mike Tyson and Roy Jones that did not get that opportunity. … Jake Paul is making his money, he’s doing his thing. But stay away from us real fighters.”

Askren, 36, is a former Bellator Champion before competing in UFC. In his MMA career, Askren posted a 19-2 record with one end in a no contest. He also was an amateur wrestler, winning the Big-12 Conference title twice while competing at Missouri. He also competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics. In an interview with BJPenn.com, Askren said once he beats Paul, he said he’s down for another “stupid” boxing match.

“For me, I can’t lose weight for no reason, so I needed a reason. It’s been fun for me and with boxing, I’m learning something new which is fun,” Askren said. “I’m not going to do three boxing matches a year or anything. But, if I call out some other dope, YouTuber and will fight him next year, yeah. I’m not going to 20 of them but I might do two or three more.”