Paul is an obnoxious personality, but he's also young, strong and seems to be taking boxing seriously in the gym. If the boxing experiment goes well, Askren believes he may return to the circus a few more times. When a full hip replacement ended up not being needed, Askren took the fight with Paul, getting back into the fight game in the one area of his talents where he has always been weakest. After just three fights on MMA's biggest stage, Askren was forced into retirement due to longstanding issues with his hips. Askren's MMA career was very successful, capturing multiple championships before ending his career with a disappointing run in the UFC. In Askren, he is finally facing a man who made his living through fighting, though certainly not as a boxer. After knocking out fellow YouTube star AnEsonGib, Paul went viral this past November when he brutally knocked out former NBA star Nate Robinson. Paul has been undeniably impressive in his previous two professional fights, though neither came against an actual fighter. That continues on Saturday night when YouTube star Jake Paul steps into the boxing ring for the third time as a professional to face former UFC fighter Ben Askren at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta

Combat sports' long history of circus sideshow fights has received a modern wrinkle in recent years, with social media influencers leading a new wave of 'outsiders' stepping into the fight game.