Ben Askren has hit back at criticism over his weight after rival Jake Paul claimed he had a beer belly.
Askren tipped the scales at 191lb last night ahead of his fight with Paul in Atlanta tonight but looked in poor shape compared to his rival.
The former mixed martial arts world champion is making his professional boxing debut having not fought since 2019.
Askren finished his career in the cage fighting at 170lb and has clearly piled on the pounds since his retired.
But he questioned why he should change his body shape that brought him success.
"'Cause I'm about to ruin the image and the style that ya used to; I look funky," he tweeted. "But yo I'm makin' money, see so yo world I hope you're ready for me."
Paul and Askren last night came face to face for the final time before the first bell following week's of acrimonious build-up.
Both men predicted they will win by stoppage - but Paul was critical of his opponent's preparations.
"I see a guy who's underestimating me, I see a guy who is taking this as a joke and I see a guy who said, 'I have to take a s***' during the face-off," he said.
"This is the last 24 hours we will all have to hear Ben Askren. This one means a lot for me, this one is for Shadow (Paul's bodyguard).
"I don't believe he makes it out of two rounds; look at the guy, he has a beer belly so he clearly didn't take training camp seriously.
"We all did the talking and the entertainment s*** but now it's time to let the fists fly."
Askren's physical appearance has raised questions over his commitment after he admitted this week that his fans wanted him to win more than he did.
The former Bellator champion will earn at least $500,000 tonight plus his share of the pay-per-view revenue. Paul is guaranteed $690,000.
And Askren said earlier in fight week: "I honestly think most fans are more invested in the result of this belt than I am,| he said. "I mean for me, I think actually the biggest negative comes from winning, because if I beat Jake Paul’s ass, I’m going to be world famous."
