When Andre August steps into the ring with Jake Paul, he’ll do so with the mindset that the opportunity is special regardless of what anyone thinks.
August meets Paul in an eight-round cruiserweight boxing match Friday at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Fla. The fight headlines an eight-fight card that streams on DAZN.
August, 35, never expected to get a phone call with an offer to fight Paul, the YouTube sensation turned professional boxer. And the way he sees it, he has a golden opportunity to finally make a name for himself this late in his career.
“I never expected it. It was really an amazing thing for me,” August, who made his professional debut in 2013, told MMA Junkie. “I’m cool with it, and I’m pretty sure he’s cool with it, too. They actually picked me. I’m ready to get it on and show y’all some fireworks on December 15th. …
“(A win) does a bunch of things for me. It’s really a blessing. It’s really a dream come true. It does a lot, things I can’t even speak on or imagine. I just could say I’m blessed.”
Regardless of where you stand on the polarizing Paul, the fact of the matter is that he’s made a name for himself in boxing ever since his pro debut in 2020. Mainly, Paul, who’s 7-1, has achieved his notoriety by calling out and fighting former UFC stars past their primes, as he holds victories over Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley (twice), Anderson Silva, and most recently Nate Diaz this past August.
Paul’s only other fight against a pure boxer resulted in defeat when he dropped a split decision to Tommy Fury in February. August, who’s 10-1 and riding a five-fight winning streak, represents Paul’s second encounter with a pure boxer. Perhaps he could expose Paul, but August gives him more credit for his boxing skills than most observers.
“Even if the people that say anything about him as far as him being a YouTuber or whatever, well, everyone that’s saying something, why don’t these guys be able to just get in the ring and do something?” August said. “It’s not easy to get in the ring and make it happen and actually fight anybody, even if it’s an MMA fighter. MMA fighters are fighters. We’re all fighters at the end of the day. I just take my hat off to him and respect him for that. Everybody that’s saying something about the situation, I don’t really feed into it because they’re not getting in the ring and making things happen.”
Bottom line: August expects a challenge when he throws hands with Paul.
“Boxing is boxing, man. Anything can happen,” August said. “… Jake is a boxer himself. Everyone needs to stop saying he’s just a YouTuber. This guy has actually been putting in work. He has real boxers in his corner that are actually training him, people that have way more experience than I have. He’s doing what he needs to do to become whatever he needs to become. …
“I’m not really good on predictions. We both have punching power, and that’s very exciting for the people to see. He’s not a pure boxer, but at the same time, he can fight. All I can say to you guys is on December 15th you’re gonna see fireworks. It’s gonna be an amazing fight to watch.”
