Jake Paul made quick work of veteran boxer Andre August with a first-round knockout on Friday night in Florida.
Paul, 26, fought at cruiserweight (200-pound limit) to increase his credibility as a title contender after facing former MMA fighters in his first six bouts.
August, 35, is a career professional boxer who has last fought in August after a nearly four-year layoff and had a five-bout winning streak.
Paul (8-1) unleashed a right uppercut that floored August (10-2-1, five KOs) and the referee stopped the fight at Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando with 28 seconds left in the first of eight scheduled rounds.
Paul has claimed five of his eight professional victories by knockout, with his only defeat coming on points earlier this year against Tommy Fury.
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Despite the modest nature of his opponents to date, the former actor says he is focused on becoming a world champion.
He told Dazn: “Right now, I’m focused on being the best in the world and creating one of the greatest sports stories in the history of sports: being able to become a world champion from Disney Channel. Now I’m lasered in.
“I’m just really happy, you know, that’s that delayed gratification, working hard this whole entire year. And it’s just all paying off, you know, just the power of manifestation.
“I think this is the best one just because the first-round (knockout) calling it the whole entire week. Not getting hit one time in the fight and just setting him up for that.
“He kept on ducking low, ducking low and I was like, ‘Okay, I’m going to throw the uppercut’. But I got to make sure he keeps on ducking low, assess him, set him up for and finished it, threw it through that thing hard.
Paul added that he “doesn’t care” about a future clash with fellow internet star-turned boxed KSI, referencing the Brit’s decision to stream a sparring session with YouTuber IShowSpeed at the same time as the Friday night bout.
“I don’t know. I don’t care,” Paul added. “It’s just two different things, right? He’s chasing views as a 30-year-old man, and I’m chasing legacy and belts all kudos to him. I hope he makes his wildest dreams come true.”
On criticism over the quality of his professional opponents, Paul added: “What they don’t know is that it’s just making me bigger, just making me stronger, just making me more motivated to go ahead and become world champion. And this is one step closer, right?
“This guy was 10-1 boxing his whole life, three-time Golden Glove champion, and he didn’t last more than two and a half minutes. And I was just getting warmed up for it.”