‘I may have gotten a little carried away with this one’: ESPN interviewer Radio Rahim goes viral after telling Jake Paul he was a ‘f***ing true fighter’ live on air after his narrow loss to Tommy Fury
Jake Paul and Tommy Fury were undoubtedly the headline acts but interviewer Radio Rahim was a surprise viral sensation throughout Sunday evening’s telecast.
The event, which saw Fury win via a split decision, saw Rahim interview fighters after each bout on ESPN+ in the US and BT Sport in the UK.
As he began to interview Paul, Rahim seemed to get carried away and strangely showered the American with lavish praise.
‘Fighting the way you did, that makes you a f****** true fighter, a true champion, in your heart and soul, we saw you give everything tonight,’ he began.
‘You are a boxer. You are a man. Talk to me about this fight and the way it went tonight.’
WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE
Radio Rahim tweeted out about his lavish praise of Jake Paul following the loss to Tommy Fury
Tommy Fury was victorious vs. the American, winning via split decision in Saudi Arabia Sunday
Hours after the footage took off online Rahim took to Twitter to comment on the moment.
‘I may have gotten a little carried away with this one but @jakepaul fought hard and true champions come back stronger! I’ll come back better too.’
Many fight fans hailed Rahim amid a hilarious moment with Paul’s brother, Logan, who conducted a mid-fight interview with the reporter.
Rahim had asked Logan about what he had said to his sibling prefight and ended with ‘I love you,’ — his final message to Paul. However, Rahim seemed to think Logan was expressing a fondness for him, amusingly replying ‘I love you too.’
Fury and Paul mostly engaged in an entertaining fight which captured much viral attention
The boxing reporter saved one of his unique interactions for the champion. No stranger to theater, Rahim ramped it up before eventually leading into an opening question for Fury.
‘Radio Rahim here with Tommy Fury. You have every right to shed these tears of victory, of glory, of joy.
‘You’ve done something for your family, you’ve done something for your name. You are more than a contender, you’re a warrior.
‘Talk to me about the feelings pumping through your heart at this very moment.’
Rahim has gone viral for others interviews, including when Deontay Wilder put him on blast
It is not the first time ‘Radio Rahim’ has made headlines for viral moments in his interviews, including when Deontay Wilder took exception to a comment he made.
Following a press conference with Tyson Fury in the leadup to their first fight, Wilder was asked by Rahim to explain what he had meant by an earlier comment that his people had been fighting for 400 years.
Wilder took great exception to the question; ‘Cmon man, y’all peoples too. Y’all people too!
‘You know what I’m talking about, y’all know what I’m talking about, man. Don’t sit up here and try to bait (me). You all know what the f*** I talk about when I say these things. Your people too!’
Wilder continued on in a rant which lasted almost an entire minute.
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