Baltimore-born boxer Hasim Rahman Jr. pulls out of Jake Paul fight due to weight issue – Reading Eagle

A scheduled pay-per-view fight between Baltimore’s Hasim Rahman Jr. and social media star Jake Paul has been canceled due to Rahman’s weight issue, Showtime Sports announced Saturday night.

The fight, scheduled for August 6 in New York’s Madison Square Garden, was originally supposed to take place in the 200-pound limit; Rahman has spent his entire career at heavyweight and weighed 224 pounds in his last fight in April.

The son of former heavyweight champion Hashim Rahman was hoping to hand Paul his first defeat and make a name for himself on the biggest stage of his career.

Rahman Jr., who celebrated his 31st birthday on June 15, is 12-1 as a professional.

“This is such a huge opportunity,” he said during press conference dedicated to the struggle two weeks ago. “I never even guessed or even doubted the outcome of this fight.”

Paul, 25, is 6-1, 195 pounds and is 5-0 with four knockouts. But his list of opponents includes 5-9 former NBA star Nate Robinson, retired mixed martial artist Ben Askren and former UFC champion Tyron Woodley. Rahman Jr. was to be the first boxer Paul would face.

()