Paul Cleared To Fight Askren Despite CTE Claim

Jake Paul has been cleared to fight Ben Askren later tonight (Sat., April 17, 2021) live on FITE TV PPV from inside Mercedes-Benz Arena in Atlanta, Ga., despite claiming he had “early signs of CTE” this past Thursday.

Paul, who will be making just his third trip to the boxing ring this weekend, surprised many with his claim. The YouTube sensation hasn’t been training in boxing all that long and has no other combat experience. It was hard to tell if Paul was speaking out of turn or if he really does have an issue with CTE.

“It’s a dangerous sport,” Paul told reporters during Thursday’s media day (watch it HERE). “That’s why, when people question my dedication to it—it’s like, I’m showing up every single day. I’m putting my mental health on the line, my brain is on the line. Like you said, I’ve gone and gotten brain scans and have early signs of CTE.”

On Friday, Paul took to social media to take back his statement. The 24-year-old entertainer confirmed that he misspoken about CTE and how it relates to him.

“I wanna retract my comments made about CTE as it relates to me and my medical history,” said Paul. “It’s a very serious condition that I should not have misspoken about.”

Luckily, Paul’s fight with Askren later tonight on PPV hasn’t been affected by his comments about CTE. In fact, Paul has officially been cleared to compete by the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission.

“Our doctor signed off on his physical this morning, so we did clear him based on the physical this morning,” Matt Woodruff, the executive director of the Georgia Commission, told Yahoo Sports. “I don’t know the date, but we received medicals from California. They were reviewed and based upon that review, our doctor cleared him to fight.”

Woodruff didn’t confirm if Paul’s MRI scan came back completely clean, but it’s enough to clear him to fight “Funky” in an eight-round boxing match.

According to a Triller spokesperson, Paul’s comments about CTE were “theatrics” and that the young boxer was likely trying to show off his toughness. It’s not the most ideal way to look like a real fighter, but Paul has been trying anything and everything to prove he’s a legit threat over the past few months.

For the complete Triller Fight Club PPV lineup and musical guests for April 17 click here.