Hasim Rahman Jr. tells Jake Paul he WILL make 205lbs this week after fight was canceled

Hasim Rahman Jr. tells Jake Paul he WILL make 205lbs this week as he warns he’s ‘interested in HURTING’ him despite MSG showdown being scrapped after he was unable to make the contracted weight limit

Hasim Rahman Jr. is still prepared to weigh-in on Friday after fight was canceled
August 6 showdown with Jake Paul was called off Saturday due to weight issues
Rahman Jr. has said he will weigh the maximum amount allowed this week

By Kate Mcgreavy and Isabel Baldwin For Dailymail.Com

Hasim Rahman Jr. is determined to prove to Jake Paul he was wrong by weighing in at 205lbs this week.

The YouTuber-turned-boxer’s bout was sensationally called off Saturday – a week until fight night – due to issues over his opponent’s weight.

But Rahman Jr. has now said that he’s prepared to weigh in at the maximum amount the New York State Athletic Commission said it would sanction the fight.

Hasim Rahman Jr. is determined to prove to Jake Paul he was wrong by weighing in at 205lbs

‘We can fight at 205lb that is no problem to me, we can get it on,’ he said during a virtual press conference.

‘I’m definitely highly interested in hurting this man and it would not be at a detriment to me to do it at 205lbs. I am ready to do that I will make 205lbs on Friday.’

The Madison Square Garden showdown, penned in for Saturday, was called off over a disagreement about Rahman Jr.’s weight. According to Paul’s promotion company, Rahman had lost less than one pound than he had initially agreed to for the fight – which was supposed to take place at a max of 200lbs.

Rahman Jr. weighed 216lbs on July 7 and had reportedly offered assurance to Paul’s team that he was on track to make weight at the weigh-in on August 5.

However, Paul’s camp claim that it ‘became clear that these assurances were not made in good faith’.

Paul had originally not wanted to go above 205lbs but after Rahman Jr. weighed less than one pound less Friday than he had on July 7 the New York State Athletic Commission said it would not sanction the fight at less than 205lbs.

Jake Paul (left) and Hasim Rahman Jr. (right) were set to do battle at Madison Square Garden

Rahman Jr. fired back at Paul saying ‘the only thing I can conclude is that he’s scared’

Paul took to social media to claim that Rahman Jr., like Tommy Fury, was scared to face him in the ring.

‘First Tommy Fumbled and now Hasim Rahman Crumbled,’ Paul wrote on Twitter Saturday night.

‘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.’

He then called an ’emergency press conference’ as he posted a video to his Twitter account where he branded Rahman Jr. ‘unprofessional’, before immediately changing his bio to read: ‘Hasim Rahman Jr. and Tommy Fury were both too afraid to fight me and I’m not the “real boxer”… lololol.’

Rahman Jr. responded to the news of the cancelation on social media, claiming that while he had informed Paul that he would be unable to make the contracted weight, that Paul was the one who had pulled out of the fight.

Paul was originally supposed to face off against Tommy Fury in a grudge match on August 6

Chris Eubank Jr responded to Paul, saying he can ‘squeeze’ him in his schedule and fill the slot

‘I signed the contract to make 200lbs within the three-and-a-half weeks that I had to do it but I couldn’t do it. My body simply would not let me get down to 200lbs,’ he said.

‘I told this man, keep the purse. I’ll fight you for the $5000 minimum. That’s how much faith I had in knocking him out. I would have beat this man with one hand.

‘It’s clearly them not wanting to fight. I never said I didn’t want this fight. The only thing I can conclude is that they’re scared.’

Paul was initially supposed to face off against Tommy Fury, younger brother of Tyson Fury.

But that clash was also called off last month when Fury had to pull out due to a visa issue that saw him turned away from the airport.

Paul grew frustrated with Fury after he pulled out of their fight for the second time, claiming that the 23-year-old needs the fight.

Chris Eubank Jr responded to Paul after the news broke that the planned fight was called off, saying he can ‘squeeze’ him in his schedule and fill the slot.

‘Fumbles and Crumbles are not “boxers” they are guys who put gloves on every now and again for clout… no different to you,’ his Tweet read.

‘I’m fighting in a couple months but I can squeeze you into my schedule next week and save your show if you have the heart to get into the ring with a REAL boxer.’

FULL STATEMENT BY JAKE PAUL’S MOST VALUABLE PROMOTIONS

A statement by Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions read: ‘On July 5, Hasim Rahman, Jr. signed a bout agreement to fight Jake Paul on August 6th at Madison Square Garden at a maximum weight of 200 lbs.

‘At the time of signing Rahman provided evidence of his weight to give comfort to Most Valuable Promotions and the New York State Athletic Commission that he would not be losing more than 10 percent of his weight over the four weeks leading up to the fight. Since weighing in at 216 lbs on July 7, Rahman and his camp have offered assurance after assurance publicly and privately that he was on track to make weight at the weigh-in on August 5, going as far as to provide a letter signed by a recognized nutritionist that his weight cut was progressing without issue per New York State Athletic Commission’s required weekly weight checks.

‘In the last 48 hours, it has become clear that these assurances were not made in good faith.

‘On Friday, Rahman submitted a weight check to the New York State Athletic Commission that demonstrated he had lost less than one pound since originally signing to take the fight 24 days prior.

‘This prompted the Commission to declare that it would not sanction the fight at less than 205 lbs. Still, Jake Paul was prepared to move forward with the fight at this new weight and a new contract was sent to Rahman’s promoter reflecting a 205 lbs. limit, imposing strict penalties should he fail to make weight.

‘Upon receiving this new contract Saturday morning, Rahman’s camp indicated for the very first time that he planned to weigh 215 lbs. at the official weigh-in and would not agree to weigh-in at 205 pounds and informing Most Valuable Promotions that they are pulling out of the fight unless the fight was agreed to at 215 pounds.

‘MVP and Jake Paul will not reward someone that has conducted themselves in such a deceiving and calculated manner.

‘Therefore, MVP is left with no choice but to cancel the August 6 event. This forced outcome impacts Jake Paul, Amanda Serrano and every other fighter on this card who have trained tirelessly over the past few months for this event. The boxing community must hold Hasim Rahman Jr. liable for his lack of professionalism.

‘There has been endless work, time, and money put into building this event and we want to thank our team, Showtime, Madison Square Garden, Holden Boxing and all of our partners for their continued support. Above everything we want to thank our fans for their commitment to the athletes and the sport of boxing.’

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