Hasim Rahman Jr. wasn’t required to step on a scale Friday, but he did so anyway to prove a point – though it can be debated what point he made.
Friday in New York, Rahman Jr. stepped on the scale in an unofficial weigh-in he staged himself. The date and time were approximately when he would’ve weighed in officially had his bout vs. Jake Paul not been canceled.
In front of his team and some reporters, Rahman Jr. weighed in at 206.6 pounds, what would’ve been a weight miss for the 205-pound bout (via Mirror Fighting).
BREAKING: @_HasimRahmanJr weighs in at 206.6lb on the day he was supposed to make 205lb to fight @jakepaul.
He tells @MirrorFighting he still wants a fight with Paul, and that he would have accepted the hit to his purse that missing by 1.6lb would have caused. pic.twitter.com/qAnruzg44c
— Donagh Corby (@DonaghCorby_) August 5, 2022
Shortly after news surfaced of Rahman Jr.’s mock weigh-in miss, Paul reacted on Twitter.
“HAHAHHAHAHAHA KARMAS A BITCH,” Paul wrote.
HAHAHHAHAHAHA KARMAS A BITCH
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) August 5, 2022
Soon after, Rahman Jr. tweeted that in his contractual agreement with Paul, there was a clause for a 25 percent fine for every pound missed that would’ve come into play. Once again, he accused Paul of dodging him.
“206.6. Exposure,” Rahman wrote. “The 25% purse fines were a post of the contract for a reason. Y’all stay tuned more exposure in a few… Never in the history of boxing has someone pulled out a fight a week in advance over weight issues. I tried to tell y’all, ‘he’s a runner he’s a trackstar.”
206.6. Exposure 🗣 The 25% purse fines were a post of the contract for a reason. Y’all stay tuned more exposure in a few 🥳
— HASIM RAHMAN JR (@_HasimRahmanJr) August 5, 2022
Never in the history of boxing has someone pulled out a fight a week in advance over weight issues. I tried to tell y’all, “he’s a runner he’s a trackstar 🎶 “ pic.twitter.com/rK4HKV71Et
— HASIM RAHMAN JR (@_HasimRahmanJr) August 5, 2022
The two parties have offered differing takes on the ultimate reasoning behind the bout’s cancellation since the news broke Saturday. A news release by Paul’s promotion Most Valuable Promotions indicated Rahman Jr. continually moved goal posts when it came to the contracted weight, as the promotion shifted from a 200-pound mark to 205-pound to accommodate him. This, all while Rahman had not shown the promotion or New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) any progress in weight shed.
Rahman Jr. responded shortly thereafter and said Paul was afraid to face a true boxer. He indicated there was a chance he could’ve made the weight anyway, but if not, one of his training partners would’ve stepped in. The promotion declined alternatives, according to Rahman Jr.
UFC president Dana White theorized Saturday following UFC 270 in Dallas the bout was canceled due to poor ticket sales. However, in a recent statement issued to MMA Fighting, Madison Square Garden indicated that was not the case.
