Jake Paul vs. Hasim Rahman Jr. has been canceled due to actions the promotion is calling “deceiving and calculated.”
According to Most Valuable Promotions, Rahman did not maintain his weight in an honest fashion and requested multiple times the bout be shifted to a heavier weight class. Boxing Scene was first to report the news Saturday.
“MVP and Jake Paul will not reward someone that has conducted themselves in such a deceiving and calculated manner,” a Saturday press release reads.
The cancellation comes one week before the bout was scheduled to take place at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The promotion claimed Rahman originally agreed to a 200-pound cruiserweight bout and provided proof to the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) he weighed 216 pounds July 7.
“In the last 48 hours, it has become clear that these assurances were not made in good faith,” the promotion said.
It added Rahman has only lost one pound since his July 7 weigh-in. The promotion offered a new 205-pound contract weight, but decided to cancel the bout after Rahman’s camp demanded 215 pounds, MVP claims. At that point, the bout, and event as a whole, was called off. Tickets and pay-per-view purchases will be refunded.
“The forced outcome impacts Jake Paul, Amanda Serrano and every other fighter on this card who have trained tirelessly over the past few months for this event,” the release said. “The boxing community must hold Hasim Rahman Jr. liable for his lack of professionalism. There has been endless work, time and money put into building this event and we want to thank our team, Showtime, Madison Square Garden, Holden Boxing and all our partners for their continued support. Above everything we want to thank our fans for their commitment to the athletes and the sport of boxing.”
Read the full statement below:
#PaulRahman has been cancelled. Refunds for all ticket and PPV purchases will be provided. Full statement below. pic.twitter.com/thnjyjUEMT
— Most Valuable Promotions (@MostVpromotions) July 31, 2022
Shortly after news of the cancellation, Paul voiced his disappointment in a tweet.
“First Tommy Fumbled and now Hasim Rahman Crumbled,” Paul wrote. “These boxers are the most difficult people to work with and continually lack professionalism and confidence to fight me. I apologize to all of the of the other fighters on the card, our partners, our team and the fans.”
First Tommy Fumbled and now Hasim Rahman Crumbled. These boxers are the most difficult people to work with and continually lack professionalism and confidence to fight me.
I apologize to all of the of the other fighters on the card, our partners, our team and the fans. https://t.co/0q6MxqG3XJ
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) July 31, 2022
“Tommy Fumbled,” is a reference to Tommy Fury, who was his originally scheduled Aug. 6 opponent. Fury has twice withdrawn from matchups with Paul.
After his tweet, Paul then posted a pair of videos of himself explaining the entire situation.
(2/2) pic.twitter.com/9Op38RKMm3
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) July 31, 2022
