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Jake “The Problem Child” Paul and former UFC champion Ben Askren are set to battle on April 17. Although a venue has yet to be determined, interest for the fight is so massive that some believe Paul versus Askren becomes the fifth most watched pay-per-view boxing match in history. Let’s have another look at the upcoming bout so you can keep betting against their Boxing odds.

Jake Paul Vs Ben Askren: Let’s Break Down JP’s Two Boxing Matches

Although odds on Paul have dropped +5 from last week, he remains a -150 favorite to beat Ben Askren. How can a YouTube star be the favorite against a former MMA professional?

That’s the question we’ve been asking ourselves. In this blog, we study both of JP’s professional boxing victories. Doing so could help us explain why so many boxing handicappers are ecstatic about Jake’s chances to beat Askren on April 17.

Jake Paul Vs Ben Askren

When: April 17, 2021
Where: TBD
Boxing Odds: Jake Paul -150 / Ben Askren +110

Jake Paul gets a technical knockout against fellow YouTube star Ali Eson Gib in their Jan. 30, 2020 bout

If you want to blame something for the boxing phenomenon that is Jake Paul, blame DAZN. The combat sports streaming company provided Paul his first fight on a Matchroom Boxing card last year.

JP’s first fight was against Ali Eson Gib, also known as AnEsonGib, or Big Gibber. Whatever you wish to call him, Gib is a YouTube star like Jake Paul. So Paul’s first fight was a beef battle between two 23-year-old millennial YouTubers.

The fight was scheduled for 6 rounds. Referee Christopher Young stopped the bout in the first-round after it became apparent that Jake, if Young had allowed to continue, was going to hurt the overmatched Gib.

Before discussing Jake’s performance, let’s be fair to Ali Eson. Yes, he was terrible. But he showed some decent tactics. The problem? He had no real plan to negate JP’s height and weight advantages.

As far as Paul is concerned, he showed some skills. His one-two is decent for a big man. It’s obvious he’s got power, and, most importantly, he used his height and length, stepping back and landing punches when Gib moved forward.

On Nov. 28, 2020, JP destroy former NBA player Nate Robinson

Ben Askren has a point when he says that Jake Paul looked good dominating Nate Robinson because it was a fight between one guy that’s horrible, Jake Paul, and another that’s more horrible, Nate Robinson.

But it’s not fair to blow off Jake’s victory over Robinson as a simple exhibition win. The fight, which happened on the Tyson versus Roy Jones Jr. undercard, allowed Jake to show a couple of new techniques.

First, he displayed a great defensive technique that he can use against Askren. As the shorter Robinson came forward, a couple of times JP put his arm over Nate’s neck. That stopped any offensive plan Robinson had.

Sure, it didn’t look like Nate had a plan at any moment during the fight, but at least Jake showed he could provide a defensive move when required.

Second, JP showed he can punch both as his opponent moves towards him and without having to extend his arms. The first knockdown happened as Robinson moved towards Jake. Again, Nate was off-balance when he moved, but it took some skill for Paul to provide the punch.

The knockout punch happened in much closer quarters. It was a beautiful overhand right that landed flush on Nate’s jaw.

Don’t get us wrong, JP’s got a lot to fix before beating a combat sports professional like Ben Askren. The odds most definitely make Paul an underlay.

But if JP does fix those things, as an example, his tendency to punch over his front foot, he’ll pose a big challenge for Ben Askren. So if you believe Jake fixes the issues, maybe, the -150 aren’t bad odds.

I have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?