Fans have heaped praise on Jake Paul after he delivered a brutal uppercut to knock out Andre August in the opening round of their fight on Friday night.
Paul has been looking to rebuild his career after losing to Tommy Fury in their grudge match in February, and he had failed to stop any of his opponents since flooring Tyron Woodley in their December 2021 rematch.
But he demonstrated his devastating power inside the first three minutes against August in Orlando, Florida, as he followed up a range-finding jab with a vicious uppercut that caught his opponent on the chin and sent him crashing to the canvas.
August was left flat on his back and never looked like beating the count as Paul improved his professional record to eight wins and one loss.
Slow-motion replays have circulated on social media, highlighting how well Paul picked his shot as he turned a relatively quiet opening round dramatically in his favour, with August unable to continue.
Jake Paul landed a brutal uppercut that caught Andre August right on the chin
August failed to beat the count as he suffered a first-round defeat against Paul
Paul improved his professional record to eight wins and one loss after getting his first knockout in two years
The YouTuber-turned-boxer has divided opinion since switching his focus to the squared circle, but fans could not help but be impressed by his one-punch knockout of a professional fighter.
‘It cannot be denied, that was f***ing beautiful from Jake Paul,’ one fan admitted.
‘Such a clean shot,’ another agreed.
‘That was actually pretty good,’ another fan conceded on X.
Paul has struggled to gain respect from some over the years after targeting a series of MMA fighters rather than boxers, but one person claimed he deserves credit for proving himself against August.
‘He just KOd a real boxer in the first round, what’s y’all excuse now?’ they asked.
Paul still has some doubters to win over, though.
He has previously called for a huge crossover fight with super-middleweight king Canelo Alvarez, insisting that he can go on and become a world champion in the sport.
One fan warned him that Canelo would have seen the uppercut coming, and suggested the Mexican superstar would deal with Paul easily.
‘He is pulling that uppercut from a long ways a way. Feed him Canelo,’ they said.
A showdown with Canelo still seems some way off at this stage, but a fight with YouTube rival KSI could be more realistic in 2024.
Paul accused KSI of chasing views over legacy after his win against August, but the pair could finally settle their differences in the ring next year.
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