Tony Bellew thinks Jake Paul has chosen a tougher opponent in Hasim Rahman Jr after Tommy Fury pulled out of their fight.
Fury pulled out of a fight with Paul for a second time after failing to provide assurances that he could travel to the US having been refused access to the country whilst travelling for the fight's press conference. Rahman, the son of a former heavyweight world champion, stepped in on short notice to face Paul in the YouTube star's sixth professional fight.
Paul has previously been criticised for not fighting a 'real' boxer but Bellew admitted he is "massively impressed" with the opponent change. The former cruiserweight world champion thinks Paul must have seen weaknesses in Rahman from the pair's sparring session two years ago.
Do you think Hasim Rahman Jr is a tougher opponent for Jake Paul than Tommy Fury? Let us know in the comments section below
"Whatever his reasons for insisting on Rahman Jr, I’m massively impressed that Paul has taken this step because this is a significant step up from what he’s used to as he’s in there with an actual professional boxer," Bellew wrote for DAZN. "This is a much harder fight than his original contest with Fury, and I’m trying to figure out why Paul has gone down this route.
"The two fighters have sparred each other so they know each other well. I’m thinking that either Paul or his trainer believe they can exploit a Rahman weakness in a big way. You shouldn’t take too much from sparring as it’s never really a level playing field depending on circumstances, but I’m almost certain that Paul has seen something that gives him huge confidence."
Rahman faces a big weight cut to make the 200lb cruiserweight limit having tipped the scale at 224lb in his last fight. Paul's promotional company have even branded the meeting as "David vs Goliath" after the size difference was evident during their face-off earlier this week. Bellew thinks fans should "accept" Paul is serious about boxing if he is to beat Rahman next month.
"If Paul can defeat Rahman Jr, then it’s probably time to accept that he’s serious about boxing. Another fight in the shape of Rahman Jr or even getting the Fury fight on would be the sensible option for his next fight, but I’d like to see him get busier. He needs to fight more if he wants to improve quicker and next month will tell us how much he needs to improve. I can’t wait to find out."
