Gen Z and the boxing public alike are used to Jake Paul dishing out headline-grabbing material.

His latest exposé ahead of his third professional boxing match Saturday night versus Ben Askren on Triller pay-per-view was a startling proclamation relating to his mental health. 

“You know, it’s a dangerous sport. And 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 … I’ve gone and gotten brain scans and have early signs of CTE,” Paul said during a press conference Thursday. “But, I love this sport and wouldn’t trade it for anything else. And I’m a fighter and people will see that. Whether it’s after Saturday night or whether it’s a year from now, they will see that I’m a fighter.”

Actively competing in combat sports with signs of CTE is certainly an issue that Paul should be taking seriously. The 24-year-old content creator turned KO artist did expand much further on the subject of CTE. 

However, Paul did continue ramping up the promotion of his main event fight with the former MMA champion Askren. 

Paul even compared his ascent in boxing to be far greater than the recently anointed fighter of the decade. 

"I'm in my third pro fight, I'm fighting eight rounds, headlining one of the biggest pay-per-views that could happen this decade," Paul said. "If you look at Floyd Mayweather, his third fight was six rounds, he got paid $7,000 and I don't think anyone in this room probably watched it."

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com.