BEN ASKREN released sparring footage ahead of his fight against Jake Paul and joked about whether it was in ‘slow motion’ or not.
The retired UFC welterweight faces Paul on April 17, at the 75,000-seater Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
His opponent, a YouTuber-turned 2-0 professional, has accused Askren of lacking speed and boxing skills.
The former ONE Championship and Bellator champion hit back as he referenced the jibe in his latest training post.
Askren, 36, captioned the sparring video: “Bens sparring is on point. But the question seems to be – slow motion or real time?
“Check out the vlog and you decide. On April 17th it’ll be nothing but real time and JP won’t be able to keep up.”
Askren despite being vastly more experienced as a fighter, was renowned for his limited striking style but high-level grappling accolades.
As a result, he emerges as the betting underdog against Paul, 24, who has two knockouts in as many fights.
But in a new development, Askren will link up with esteemed, Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, most renowned for coaching Manny Pacquiao.
He told MMA Junkie: “I’m only in LA for a week, so I’m gonna get as much as I can out of Freddie Roach.
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“I’m gonna pick his brain. So I started training, maybe six weeks it’s been.
“First couple of weeks was just like strength and conditioning, let me get back in shape because I couldn’t really start training until December 1 because of my hip surgery.
“I couldn’t do anything until December 1.”
