Getting to know Hasim Rahman Jr. who faces Jake Paul on Aug 6

Hasim Rahman Jr. is the latest opponent for the influencer turned boxer, Jake Paul.

In what has been a quick turn of events, social media influencer turned pro fighter Jake Paul (5-0) will no longer be facing Tommy Fury due to Fury not being allowed to travel out of his country. Instead, Hasim Rahman Jr. (12-1) will now meet Paul at the Madison Square Garden on August 6.

If the name Rahman Jr. rings a bell, that’s because he is the son of the former unified heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman (50-9-2), who was famously known for knocking out Lennox Lewis back in 2001. That night, Rahman Jr. envisioned one day being like his father and winning the heavyweight title. Although the fight against Paul isn’t for a title, the event will be a spectacle and likely have just as much chatter as a fight for a title would have these days.

So, who is Rahman Jr.? He’s a kid that grew up in Baltimore, MD, who missed significant bonding time with his father as Rahman’s boxing career was in full swing. Rahman Jr. spent most of his time with his mother and caring for his siblings. Eventually, the decision of what career path came up as he got older and learned that there had never been a father & son who were heavyweight champions in the history of boxing became the motivation of Rahman Jr. to become a fighter.

Jake Paul vs. Hasim Rahman Jr. will be a Showtime PPV on August 6

While Rahman Jr. was getting his boxing career going, in December 2017, he and his wife faced a tragedy as they lost their son Jibra’il in the delivery room while in labor. It was a very difficult time for him and his wife, which is why Rahman Jr. dedicated all of his fights to his son.

Rahman Jr. stayed active during the five years that he has been a pro and was on a 12-fight winning streak until April, when he lost to James Morrison (19-0-2), who happens to be the son of former heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison (48-3-1). Although Rahman Jr. disagreed with the stoppage and felt it was too soon, he accepted his defeat as a minor setback.

Once Fury was out of the fight officially, Paul and his team moved swiftly to name an opponent to salvage the August date at the Madison Square Garden. Once Rahman Jr. was officially designated as the opponent, a video was released from a sparring session between Rahman Jr. and Paul, which shows the two trading words after sharing the ring. The footage is two years old, but it does validate that both men have exchanged punches in the square circle at one point and know some of what will be brought on fight night.

This is an interesting fight for Paul as Rahman Jr. is a professional boxer and will be the naturally bigger guy on fight night. Will the past sparring make a difference in this fight, and does this solidify him as a legitimate fighter within the boxing world if Paul wins? Will Rahman Jr. hand Paul his first defeat and supply the Paul naysayers with “I told you so”? All of these questions will be answered in NYC on August 6.