Andre August steps into the ring for the biggest fight of his career tonight as he takes on Jake Paul.
It has been a relatively low-key build up to the bout in Orlando, as Paul looks to end 2023 on a high having beaten Nate Diaz in August to start his rebuild following defeat to Tommy Fury at the start of the year.
CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW JAKE PAUL VS ANDRE AUGUST LIVE!
While Paul has spent much of his boxing career fighting high-profile former UFC stars, August is perhaps the most unknown of all the opponents he has faced in his eight professional bouts to date.
Here's all you need to know about the man facing Paul tonight...
Who is Andre August?
August is an American cruiserweight, making him only the second professional boxer, after Fury, that Paul has fought.
The 35-year-old has a 10-1-1 record, with the most recent of those victories coming in August when he beat Brandon Martin on points, and he has won his last five bouts.
That fight with Martin was his first for nearly four years, and it is only in his last two fights that August has fought opponents with winning records.
August was stopped by Eric Abraham five years ago, with the other fight he failed to win coming in 2014 when his bout with debutant Rudy Lozano was scored a draw.
He has never fought for a major title - the most significant fight of his career was a win over Santario Martin four years ago to pick up the vacant Texas Combative Sports Program light-heavyweight title.
Where is Andre August ranked?
According to BoxRec, August is ranked 311th across world cruiserweights and 43rd in America.
Who is on Andre August's team?
August is being trained by Justin Deshone, who Paul took aim at during a press conference earlier this week.
Paul told August that he had dropped his coach during sparring, provoking a response from Deshone. He was a sparring partner for Paul last summer and admitted he was technically knocked down.
“I’m going to be all the way honest about it,’’ Deshone told USA TODAY Sports Thursday. “In the sport of boxing, if your glove touches the ground, it’s a knockdown, right? So, yeah, that happened.
“Jake caught me while I was throwing. I wasn’t hurt or anything. My glove touched the canvas."
What has August said?
August has been fairly quiet in the build-up to the fight, but in a statement after it was announced he claimed Paul could not match his desire to win.
“I don't talk very much, I’m all about that action," August said.
"Jake Paul has the money, the fame, the team and the resources but he doesn’t have my hunger. When that bell rings, I am going to go straight to Jake Paul and ring his bell and send him back to YouTube for good.”
And in a recent interview with Fox News, August insisted he is relishing the chance to impress on a big stage.
"In the state of Texas, [getting my name out there has] been a breeze," he said.
"But across the world, this right here has brought all the attention. So, it’s very important for me to take this fight and show my skills and my abilities to [show] what I can do."
