MMA veteran Ben Askren is going to do everything possible to prepare for his upcoming boxing match with Youtube star Jake Paul (2-0, 2 KOs).

Askren is going to enlist the services of Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach of the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California. 

Paul and Askren are scheduled to collide on April 17th at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The Triller app is financially backing their pay-per-view event.

While Askren is a skilled fighter in mixed martial arts, he admittedly is not the best striker and wants to sharpen those skills before he steps in the ring with Paul.

“I’m only in LA for a week, so I’m gonna get as much as I can out of Freddie Roach. I’m gonna try to pick his brain,” Askren revealed in an interview with MMA Junkie. 

“I’m trying to be as good of a boxer as I can. I’m not under the impression that I’m maybe a pro boxer. I’ve been top ten in the world in four different sports, I know what it’s like to be world-class. I’m not a world-class boxer.

“But I don’t gotta be a world-class boxer. I just gotta beat up Jake friggin’ Paul. That ain’t gonna be that hard."

In 2019, Paul decided to become a pro boxer. He knocked out YouTube rival AnEsonGib in the first round.

Paul had his second pro bout in November 2020, when he brutally knocked out NBA veteran Nate Robinson, as the co-featured attraction to the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones pay-per-view event.

Following that bout, Paul was aggressively issuing challenges to numerous MMA fighters - including UFC superstar Conor McGregor. Askren was more than happy to accept the fight.