THE W.A.D.E. Concept - WEEK IN REVIEW - AJ VS JAKE PAUL CONFIRMED?! EUBANK VS BENN 2 IS ON & SALT PAPI VS TONY FERGUSON FACE 2 FACE?!

Summary

Podcast Title: The Herd with Colin Cowherd
Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume
Episode: THE W.A.D.E. Concept - WEEK IN REVIEW - AJ VS JAKE PAUL CONFIRMED?! EUBANK VS BENN 2 IS ON & SALT PAPI VS TONY FERGUSON FACE 2 FACE?!
Release Date: August 10, 2025

---

Introduction

The episode dives deep into some of the most talked-about sports headlines of the week, focusing on major boxing match confirmations and a high-profile crossover fight. Hosted by Colin Cowherd, the discussion is candid, analytical, and filled with Cowherd's characteristic opinions.

---

1. Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua: A Bout of Risks and Realities

Timestamp: [02:06] - [16:10]

Colin Cowherd opens the discussion with the hot topic of Jake Paul potentially facing Anthony Joshua. He voices significant concerns over Jake Paul’s ability to handle such a formidable opponent, stating, “I'm truly like concerned that Jake Paul is going to get his actual head knocked off his shoulders” ([02:06]).

Nikisa Badarian's Perspective: Jake Paul's manager, Nikisa Badarian, appears optimistic about the fight. At [03:50], Badarian remarks, “I think the fight can absolutely happen. I'm looking at it as Jake versus Joshua, which is quite biblical and it's quite impactful in many ways.”

Colin critiques Badarian’s comparison to biblical stories, highlighting his skepticism about the feasibility and safety of the match. He emphasizes that Anthony Joshua is a seasoned heavyweight who has faced top-tier opponents, contrasting Jake Paul's relatively limited experience in the heavyweight division.

Potential Outcomes and Risks: Cowherd breaks down the physical and experiential disparities between Joshua and Paul. He notes Joshua's resilience and technical prowess, stating, “Anthony Joshua is used to fighting the bigger level of heavyweights and has fought the most skilled heavyweight there is” ([05:41]). Cowherd argues that Jake Paul's ambition might lead him into a high-risk situation without substantial benefits, despite the lucrative nature of such a high-profile fight.

Fight Logistics: Badarian discusses the logistics, suggesting the fight could take place in Q1 of 2026 ([09:39]). Possible venues include Wembley Stadium, tapping into the UK’s strong boxing fanbase, which could draw massive viewership.

Public and Industry Reaction: Cowherd references endorsements from industry figures like Turkey Al Shake, who believes in the fight's potential, saying it’s a "99% to 1% fight" in favor of Joshua ([10:05]). Cowherd remains critical, maintaining a 70% belief in the fight happening but expressing doubt about its legitimacy and safety for Jake Paul.

Conclusion on Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua: Cowherd concludes that while the fight is likely to happen, it represents a dangerous move for Jake Paul. He remains bearish on Jake’s long-term aspirations to become a world champion, suggesting that the fight could derail his career trajectory if not managed carefully.

---

2. Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Connor Ben 2: The Rematch Confirmed

Timestamp: [16:10] - [63:10]

The second major segment covers the highly anticipated rematch between Chris Eubank Jr. and Connor Ben. Colin Cowherd reveals that the rematch has been officially confirmed for November 15th at Tottenham Stadium, presented as "The Ring Unfinished Business" ([16:10]).

Background and First Fight Recap: Cowherd recaps the first encounter, acknowledging it as a potential "fight of the year" candidate in 2025. He highlights the controversy surrounding the initial match, including weigh-in issues where Eubank Jr. missed weight, resulting in a hefty fine ([20:00]).

Weigh-In and Weight Class Concerns: The rematch retains the 160-pound limit, sparking debates about the athletes' natural weight classes. Cowherd points out that neither fighter is naturally suited to this weight, which raises concerns about their performance and safety. He states, “Chris Eubank Jr. is not a natural 160 anymore” ([30:00]).

Fight Analysis and Predictions: Cowherd analyzes both fighters’ performances and strategies:

• Chris Eubank Jr.: Praised for his technical skills and resilience, Cowherd believes Eubank Jr. has limited avenues to further elevate his game, given his age and the stress of weight cutting.

• Connor Ben: Seen as having potential growth opportunities, Cowherd is optimistic about Ben’s ability to adjust his strategy. He remarks, “I picked him in the first fight and again he was moments away from having some big time success” ([50:02]).

Cowherd predicts that Connor Ben might have the upper hand in the rematch due to his youth, speed, and eagerness to improve, despite Eubank Jr.’s superior boxing experience. He fosters anticipation for a competitive and entertaining fight, acknowledging both fighters' willingness to take significant risks.

Venue and Promotion: The rematch at Tottenham Stadium is lauded as a strategic choice, leveraging the UK's passionate boxing audience. Cowherd underscores the event's potential to draw significant attention and possibly set up a trilogy if the rematch proves decisive ([60:59]).

Final Thoughts on Eubank Jr. vs. Connor Ben 2: Concluding this segment, Cowherd expresses excitement for the rematch while remaining cautiously optimistic about Connor Ben's chances. He encourages listeners to share their predictions and reflects on the broader implications for both fighters' careers.

---

3. Salt Papi vs. Tony Ferguson: The MMA to Boxing Crossover Showdown

Timestamp: [63:10] - [61:11]

The final major highlight of the episode is the face-off between Salt Papi and Tony Ferguson. Colin previews the upcoming fight, emphasizing the unique challenges of transitioning from MMA to boxing.

Fight Preview and Personalities: The face-off segment features Salt Papi (Nathaniel) and Tony Ferguson, both bringing distinct backgrounds and styles to the ring. Cowherd discusses Salt Papi’s emergence as a social media influencer turned boxer, noting, “Misfits does clearly think of Salt Papi as, like a superstar” ([66:00]).

Colin's Analysis: Cowherd is critical of MMA fighters crossing over to boxing without adequate preparation. He points out that Tony Ferguson’s extensive MMA experience may not translate well to the boxing ring, especially against a technically proficient opponent like Salt Papi. He states, “Boxing is bringing guys in that had never boxed... there are completely different sports” ([70:00]).

Notable Quotes:

• Colin Cowherd: “I want to see Salt Papi address that. When Tony's like, yes, you can knock me out, why isn't he addressing it?”
• Tony Ferguson: “I'm going to have to turn it in. I don't like to talk too much about like other things. You guys are going to have to tune in when it goes into.”

Fight Dynamics: Cowherd predicts Salt Papi’s victory, attributing it to his specialized boxing training and better adaptability to the sport. He questions Tony Ferguson's ability to compete at the same level, especially considering Ferguson's recent performance trends in MMA and boxing.

Final Predictions: Colin is confident that Salt Papi will dominate the fight, drawing parallels to previous influencer boxing matches where technical skill outweighed raw athleticism from other combat sports. He remarks, “This is why you don't see boxers go to MMA, because they're not the same sport and they would get rag dolls and destroyed” ([80:00]).

Conclusion on Salt Papi vs. Tony Ferguson: Cowherd wraps up by reinforcing his stance that Salt Papi’s focused training and boxing-oriented approach give him a decisive edge over Tony Ferguson, whose diverse combat background lacks the specificity required for boxing excellence.

---

Final Thoughts and Wrap-Up

Colin Cowherd concludes the episode by reiterating his excitement for the upcoming fights while maintaining a critical eye on the athletes' decisions to engage in high-risk matchups. He encourages listeners to share their opinions and emphasizes the importance of strategic career moves over sensational but potentially harmful fights.

Notable Closing Quote:
“I can't believe it. But they're actually gonna do this. This is insane.” ([62:00])

---

Key Takeaways

• Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua: High-profile but risky fight with concerns over Jake Paul's safety and career impact.
• Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Connor Ben 2: Exciting rematch with potential for a competitive showdown, leaning slightly towards Connor Ben’s favor due to his youth and adaptability.
• Salt Papi vs. Tony Ferguson: Predicted victory for Salt Papi, highlighting the challenges MMA fighters face when transitioning to boxing.

Colin Cowherd provides a thorough, opinionated analysis of each fight, balancing excitement with cautionary perspectives on athlete safety and career sustainability.

Transcript

[Host]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Lenovo Ad Voice]

In the heat of battle, your squad relies on you. Don't let them down. Unlock elite gaming [e-mail], dominate every match with next level speed, seamless streaming and performance that won't quit and push your gameplay beyond limits with Intel Core Ultra processors. That's the power of Lenovo. With intel inside, maximize your edge by [e-mail] during their back to school sale. That's Lenovo.com Lenovo.

[Host]

Lenovo.

[Puzzle Host]

Let's start with a quick puzzle. The answer is Ken Jennings appearance on the puzzler with A.J. jacobs. The question is, what is the most entertaining listening experience in podcast land? Jeopardy Truthers believe in?

[Puzzle Guest]

I guess they would be conspiracy theorists.

[Puzzle Host]

That's right.

[Host]

They gave you the answers and you still blew it.

[Puzzle Host]

The Puzzler listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Shock Incarceration Host]

What would you do if one bad decision forced you to choose between a maximum security prison or the most brutal boot camp designed to be hell on earth? Unfortunately for Mark Lombardo, this was the choice he faced.

[Host]

He said, you are a number, a New York state number and we own you.

[Shock Incarceration Host]

Listen to shock incarceration on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[John Hope Bryant]

It's Black Business Month and Money and wealth podcast with John Hope Bryant is tapping in. I'm breaking down how to build wealth, create opportunities and move from surviving to thriving. It's time to talk about ownership, equity and everything in between. Black and brown communities have historically been lasting.

[Host]

Line.

[John Hope Bryant]

Let me just say this AI is moving faster than civil rights legislation ever did. Listen to money and wealth from the Black Effect podcast network on iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Host]

Alright, so we are back on the way concept presented by the ring and today they're actually gonna do this, aren't they? They really are going to make Jake Paul versus Anthony Joshua. And it's not just me saying this as if I want this to happen because I'm truly like concerned that Jake Paul is going to get his actual head knocked off his shoulders. And I know many people in this comment section will be like, why is that a concern, Wade? That's what we want. Well, I think it's a bad precedent, but boxing has already set a ton of bad precedents. So it may not just be an idea, it may be reality. And it may be sooner than you think. What do I mean? The breakdown. Let's go. All right, so Nikisa Badarian, Jake Paul's manager and the co founder of mvp, was on Sky Sports in the UK today. Talk about a myriad of things, but the main thing I wanted to cover today is obviously the Jake Paul, Anthony Joshua rumors and now potentially talks going on for an actual fight. Like there's a difference between Jake Paul saying I want to fight Anthony Joshua and the rest of us kind of being like, yeah, all right, bud. Although I will say I know Jake's delusion, so I know that when he says it, he actually will fight it. I think this is the first time in Jake's boxing career that his delusion will lead him to a place that's going to get him seriously injured. Honestly, this is what I think. I don't understand why they want to take this fight. Hopefully Nikisa can try to convince me as to any reason outside of that sweet, sweet dinero, AKA money, AKA dolla dollar bills, y'. All. To me, there is no feasible answer for this, and I think it's really gonna get Jake hurt. And again, a lot of people will celebrate that, but I just don't understand it. So let's take a look at what Nikisa had to say.

[Nikisa Badarian]

I think the fight can absolutely happen. I'm looking at it as Jake versus Joshua, which is quite biblical and it's quite impactful in many ways.

[Host]

All right, so first off, Nikisa says he looks at this as Jake versus Joshua. And, you know, it has biblical undertones. I don't know the biblical undertones of Jake versus Joshua. I know Jacob is essentially Israel, I'm pretty sure in the Bible, or it has something to do with like, the seed of Abraham. I'm not going to act like I'm a biblical historian, but I'm pretty sure I remember from Sunday school growing up that that Jacob is the name given to, I guess, what would become Israel. And then Joshua is like an assistant of Moses who leads the Israelites at a certain point through Canaan. I think I could be wrong. Bible knowers let me know down below, but I'm not sure how. If there was ever a Jacob versus Joshua thing in the Bible, I know they both had significance, but I'm not sure the connection there. But then again, this could just be Nikisa saying Jake is a side versus Anthony Joshua, and I don't really know what to make of that there, it would be a massive fight. Like, if we're talking about who's a bigger star in boxing, if they do it in the uk, it's going to be Anthony Joshua. He's he is a draw there. Like almost no boxer is here in America. I think he's sold out 90,000 a couple times out there. I don't know. But anyway, we keep going.

[Nikisa Badarian]

Anthony Joshua, I think he is 28 and 4, if I'm not mistaken. And two of his losses are against Alexander Usyk. Usyk weighed in at 220 pounds for those fights. Jake is not Usyk. A lot more years of experience needed to get to that level. But Jake walks around between 208 and 210 and he fought Mike Tyson at £228. So I think size wise we can get comfortable with it. And I think experience wise, Jake is learning very fast and growing and Joshua is a little long in the tooth.

[Host]

So it's, you know, I listen, I'm all for selling it for your guy, but the reaches here, to make any comparison between Jake Paul and opponents that Anthony Joshua has had, and also opponents Jake has had, this is like Nikisa has grown go go gadget arms and he is stretching to make these reaches. And again, it's what he's supposed to do. I get it right? If his client says, listen, I want to fight Anthony Joshua, and Nikisa says that's probably not a good idea. And his client says, no, I want to fight Anthony Joshua. You're not hearing me. Make it happen. And there's really nothing that Kisa can do other than this. Do I think that he believes Jake can win? I don't know. I don't think any sane person believes Jake can win this fight. If you have any frontal cortex brain matter, you probably think Jake has less than 1% chance of winning this fight. But at the same time, Nikisa is doing what he's supposed to do. Now as far as what he's saying, Jake weighed in at 228 to fight Mike Tyson. Usyk weighed around 2-20s to fight Anthony Joshua. He said Jake is clearly not Usyk, but he's getting experience and Joshua's a little long in the tooth. Number one, Alexander Usyk, one of the greatest boxers we've ever seen. Cruiserweight, heavyweight,220 is a little bit more natural for him at his age to stay at heavyweight, which is why he's there. But also his ability to box allows him as an undersized heavyweight in this era. Alexander Usyk in the 70s and the 80s is not an undersized heavyweight. George Foreman in the 70s is 220 something pounds. You know, I'm saying Muhammad Ali was 216. So in those days, Usyk's not undersized, but in the era of the bigger heavyweight, the 250 pound Anthony Joshua, the 240 pound Daniel Dubois, the 290 pound, almost 300 pound Tyson Fury, this era of heavyweight is bigger and Usyk, even with those bigger guys is able to still hurt them because of his boxing ability, his speed, elusiveness, his footwork work, all the things that Jake just doesn't have, at least not anywhere close to the level of being competitive with one of the more athletic heavyweights. While no, he doesn't have the greatest feet, but he has well enough feet to hang with Jake Paul in a boxing ring. We're talking about Anthony Joshua here, we're not talking about random heavyweight Jake Aspart in camp to get ready for 58 year old Mike Tyson. And I just have to say this stuff because it's, you know, if the comparisons are going to be made I have to point at the holes in the argument because that I don't even make them, they're just there which is that yeah, okay, Jake, Jake was 228 pounds for the Mike Tyson fight but it was a two minute per round fight and they went eight rounds. I know that that wasn't because of Jake but at the same time he's not, he shouldn't be at £228. It's not great for his body, not that he can't hold the weight, but if he's going to try to go long rounds against a power punching, way younger, fast, explosive heavyweight, you want to call Anthony Joshua long in the tooth. Jake was trying to hurt Mike Tyson at least early on in that fight and he couldn't do it. And that's 58 year old Mike. And I'm not saying that at certain point Jake didn't let off the gas or whatever, but I watched him in those first couple of rounds and he was throwing haymakers, he was throwing kill shots at Mike Tyson and he couldn't hurt him. I'm not saying Jake can't knock people out or whatever, he doesn't have power. I think Jake does have some power. But this is heavyweight we're talking about and it's just, you know, we just watched him fight against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. And Chavez was protecting himself, clearly did not want to fight, clearly apparently was using it as a way to just avoid ice agents for a couple more days instead of turning himself in. But the point I'm making is Jake can intimidate a guy like Chavez Jr. With his size, with his speed, with his Power and make him go, hey, you know what? Maybe I don't want to fight this kid and take any risk. Anthony Joshua is used to fighting the bigger level of heavyweights and has fought the most skilled heavyweight there is. And in the second fight looked a little better than some other guys have against Usyk. And Nikisa has to say what he has to say to make this plausible to even talk about doing, let alone starting to actually build toward the fight. But it's just, I don't know, I don't see it, man.

[Nikisa Badarian]

Could be a very interesting matchup, and we're actively discussing it with Matchroom.

[Host]

In terms of those active discussions, how.

[Interviewer]

Far have things progressed? Is it something that you can see.

[Host]

Happening next for Jake and for AJ?

[Nikisa Badarian]

I think we're looking at it happening in Q1 of 2026 is kind of the current discussion. I think it's public that AJ was taking a little time away. I think he had a little surgery. So once he's ready and once Jake is ready, we're going to squarely focus on that.

[Host]

This is what I'm talking about, dude. This has gone past the point of, well, you know, may want it to happen. We even had Turkey Al Shake saying, listen, I'll make the fight, I'll put the fight on, because Turkey is so invested in it. He's so sure that Anthony Josh was going to beat Jake. He called it a 99% to 1% fight because he likes to put on 50, 50 fights, right? Fights that people want to see, fights that make the most sense and are the most competitive, he's not even trying to hide the fact that he thinks this is a 99 to 1 and he wants it to happen. So he's done with the Jake Paul problem. That's what he said. I respect the honesty. And if you're looking for AJ to have a buildup fight, which is what everybody's saying, a fight to kind of get him back on the horse before potentially finally, hopefully going into the Tyson Fury fight. Would you rather him fight Tony Yoka or would you rather him fight an almost guaranteed win in Jake Paul? I mean, again, it's just. It boggles my mind that this can even happen. How much of a worry is that? We saw what he did to Ngannou.

[Nikisa Badarian]

So power is obviously the last thing to go. So obviously AJ has a ton of power and he's still fairly young. Mike Tyson, much more vicious of a knockout artist than Anthony Joshua, much older than aj. But that was a risk that Jake was willing to take.

[Host]

No no, we just can't. We can't do these kind of comparisons. You just can't. Mike was 58 years old. And yes, what Nikisa is saying is true when you add context, which is in his prime or even fairly in the back end of his prime and out of his prime, like in the, in the part of his life where he was completely gone from boxing and gone to prison, come back strung out, out of shape. Mike even then was probably a naturally harder, vicious knockout puncher than AJ has continued to be. But that's not even what Mike is now. We're talking 25 years after that, 25 years after the worst parts of Mike Tyson as a professional. AJ's not even as washed as Mike was at the end of his career. Like, Mike was washed, washed at the end of his actual pro boxing run. Didn't mean he wasn't powerful. But the comparison being made is like Mike Tyson was anywhere near the threat that we're talking about here. It wasn't even close. Like, yeah, Mike had a, a shot of hurting Jake and it was looked at as somewhat competitive because of Mike's age. We don't look at this fight as competitive because AJ is a bad mother when his mind is in a boxing match. Now, if he shows up like he showed up against Daniel Dubois or shows up like he showed up against Andy Ruiz the second fight, even though he won the fight, it was the most hesitant, just get through it type of fight, if he shows up like that or, you know, I don't know, like the, the USYK1 fight, then yeah, we may have a real issue here. Like if AJ's not focused and he's just doing it, whatever, and often La La land, then yeah, they may have a problem because aj, when he's not locked in, just forgoes all boxing and just wings it and bad shit happens to him. But if he shows up with any ounce of respect, any ounce of dignity, any ounce of just, I'm going to prove that I'm a professional. And you can't just walk into this sport and call out a high level heavyweight as someone that's not even a true heavyweight and think you're going to win, then he'll absolutely flatline Jake. So when a Keysa is saying stuff like, yeah, you know, Jake knew going in there with Mike was a risk, you're talking like a 95 or 96% increase in risk now versus what you were talking about against Mike Tyson. It's not even close.

[Nikisa Badarian]

Francis Ngannou, amazing MMA fighter, very powerful man, not an experienced boxer, right? A lot less experienced than Jake Paul. So if people were comfortable with Francis getting In there with AJ, Jake, who is now 13 fights in, plus one amateur fight, a lot less than AJ, but much more than Francis Ngannou, I think we're very comfortable with it. Ultimately, it's not a fight that I want Jake to do, it's a fight that Jake wants to do. And that's a discussion we've had at length. And he feels very confident about where he is in his career and his chances of upsetting Anthony Joshua.

[Host]

I mean, listen, that, that end part is a fair point. Like, you know, Nikisa has to understand the words coming out of his mouth. They're like, listen, I'm trying to do my best to convince you guys of, like, why Jake thinks he can win this fight. But I'm going to be the first to tell you I didn't want this fight for. I don't know how to even read that, but I agree with that part. To be like, hey, listen, this is not my choice. In fact, I did not want him fighting Anthony Joshua. But we talked and talked and I tried to. He's not saying it, but he's like, I tried to tell him this is probably not the best idea. Tried to talk to him, maybe try to talk him out of it. And Jake's just not budging. But again, the comparisons are what I have to go back to here. You're talking about Francis Ngannou, who, yes, should not have been in a ring with Anthony Joshua as quick as he was, shouldn't have been in the ring as quick as he was with Tyson Fury either. But the styles make matchups and like Nikisa said, Francis is a ridiculously strong puncher, a gifted athlete, a freak of nature. Now, yeah, Jake has better skills and he has more experience and he has 13 fights and all that's great. But the same things that plagued Francis potentially and almost certainly can plague Jake Paul, his inexperience at heavyweight, not just in boxing, but at heavyweight, and having to adjust with a man like aj, who is powerful and, and is a bit faster than the other heavyweights outside of Usyk, cracking you with a shot that's set up that he actually uses his jab to create. If AJ again shows up in any kind of proper form, and you get that aj, the night he fought Francis, it's going to be a train wreck about disrupting the sport and getting those eyeballs on it. Jake versus aj, or Jake versus Joshua, as you. As you call it at Wembley, perhaps, sounds pretty good to us. Would that be the dream venue for a fight like that?

[Nikisa Badarian]

I think we're looking at multiple options. Wembley is definitely a possibility. Jake has said he'd like to do it there. He likes the idea of going in and hearing 90,000 people booing him. He kind of feeds off of that. But we're looking at the us Obviously, Saudi Arabia is also an option. The Middle east is an option as a whole, but we want to do it in the most impactful way possible.

[Host]

Now, listen, again, this as a spectacle is going to draw ridiculous amounts of viewership and for the spectacle of it, because that's what we're agreeing to. This being as we go into it, everybody knows this will be an event, it'll be a spectacle. It'll be must watch for reasons that probably aren't usually the must watch reasons of boxing. Just like Mike Tyson and Jake was. It was a weird kind of circus clash. And that's okay. Again, I'm watching this shit. I'm intrigued by it. I want to see it. And with Turkey ala Shake, if he's going to be involved, and I know he said he wants to be, I think the right idea is to do this in the uk. Do it in Andy Joshua's backyard, do it at Wembley, run 90,000, 80,000, whatever it's going to be. That's the story. And it really sucks to me that it's not going to be Jake and KSI at Wembley, because that's really the story. That's the one that honestly should have happened. For those that are not familiar with the crossover influencer side, that's the fight that's been on the books and off the books and should have happened and could have happened and didn't happen. But regardless, US vs UK always sells. And especially when someone is hated as Jake by the UK audience comes into their backyard and they have a guy that they love and Anthony Joshua. It's a recipe made in boxing spectacle heaven, I guess. All right, so that's Nikisa talking about the fight. Now, if that wasn't enough to convince you that this thing is probably going to happen, more likely than not, I'm saying, I mean, if I'm putting percentages on it, unless AJ's team, and I saw Ben Davidson, I don't know if he's still coaching AJ, but I know he was AJ's coach talking about he didn't want to see AJ do that. He doesn't. He would rather AJ take more credible fights. And that's also a fair Point and one that a lot of people are also going to hang on to and say, yeah, we would rather see him fight Tony Yoka or somebody else at heavyweight. Dyson Fury, I don't know, whoever else outside of something like that happening. I'm putting this at like a 70, 30 thing. And again, these are just my percentages. The way this conversation's going, the way if you read in between the lines of what AJ's saying, by the way, what Eddie Hearn is saying about, you know, yeah, we'll, we'll sign it. Yeah, let's do it right now. Yeah, they want it. Jake wants it. I don't think Nikisa actually, I don't know if that's something that he wants, but he's going to do right by his client or at least do what his client's asking him to do. And then you have this, which again just is, is more ammo, more fuel to the fire for me. This was, I think on Instagram, I'm assuming this was from the Sky Sports interview. Some random on Instagram commented underneath it and said, imagine losing to Tommy Fury then thinking you have a chance to upset Joshua. Which is a fair point. I mean, Jake fought Tommy Fury at what, 185 pounds and lost. That was a long time ago. Jake's had a lot of experience since then, xyz. But you can see why the idea of him beating Joshua is fucking insane to most people with a brain. But Nikisa don't like randoms coming at his boy like that. So he comments underneath it. Imagine being 28. Imagine buying a home for 40 million freaking massive flex pocket watch. To the. I don't even know if Jake announced It was a 40 million dollar home putting on the biggest event in women's boxing history. Fighting in the most viewed boxing event since Ali and then fighting AJ soon after. Oh, actually don't imagine it. Jake Paul did it. So again, I don't know how many of you guys talk like this when you're just wondering about a fight, when you're just negotiating about a fight, when you're just in talks about a fight, saying things like, imagine you were fighting in the biggest, most viewed boxing event since Ali then fought AJ soon after. Oh, wait, don't imagine it. Jake Paul did it. This is almost a guarantee. Like maybe Nikki is getting ahead of himself a little bit and just adding things in to hit back at a troll, but that seems like almost a freaking done deal. That seems like they're, they're. This is what's going to be Happening. So again, I, I'm not trying to over exaggerate. I'm not trying to read too much into stuff. I'm literally just reading the words that are in front of me and listening to what's being said. I can't believe it. But they're actually gonna do this. This is insane. They're going to do this fight. I think it's a bad idea for Jake. I, I do. And I'm not even trying to like on the fight because again, I'm gonna watch, but I just think it's, it's. There's a no win situation outside of money. And sure, it'll be a big event, but if Jake's goals are to be a world champion, which, okay, we'll see. I'm still bearish on that. But if that's the goal, outside of the putting on the big events thing, how do you get to that if you don't get past AJ and he really does a number on you? I. I have no idea. And again, is the money worth that kind of risk to not only this fight, but the future? I don't think so, but. Comment section. You tell me if I'm crazy. It seems like it's. It's starting to tilt one way. What was kind of a joke or at least seem like that only a few months ago is now starting to become reality again. I said it just like Eddie Hearn did. Someone could get very badly hurt, and I don't think it'll be aj. It looks like this fight's gonna happen. So you guys let me know what you think. What's the percentage you put on this fight actually happening and if it does, what happens in it? I don't have those. I mean, I kind of do. I think everybody kind of does. Jake's probably gonna get hurt really badly, but we don't know, not for sure until they finalize this thing or until things actually get set in place. So is Jake gonna fight Anthony Joshua? I think so, but I don't have those answers, so I guess we'll find out. Folks, we are back on the way. Concept presented by the Ring magazine with breaking news today. Well, it's about a day old now, but still breaking news. Chris Eubanks Jr. And Connor Ben are set to rematch. And it just got announced, so we have to talk about it. The breakdown. Let's go. Oh, all right. So here it is from the Ring magazine Breaking Ring magazine has learned Sella completed the deal for the highly anticipated Chris Eubank Jr vs Connor Ben rematch on November 15th in Tottenham Stadium. The event will be presented as the Ring Unfinished business. Not gonna lie, they kind of did finish the business the first time around. I mean, Chris Eubank Jr. Won, but it was a great fight. It was probably fight of the year or one of the fights of the year, what we've seen this year in 2025. But that being said, it was interesting and there was always supposed to be a rematch clause so we're running it back. Also, the event will be promoted by Sellah and sponsored by Riyadh Season and the Ring Magazine. Here is the article. First it was off, then on, then off again. Now the rematch between Chris Eubank Jr. And Connor Ben, officially back on the ring, has learned the deal to see them run it back from their April 26 showdown was completed through cell on Tuesday. They will have approximately three months to prepare for their sequel to take place on November 15th in Tottenham Stadium in the United Kingdom. All right, so this is interesting because we didn't know we were going to get this. It looked like because they were originally supposed to have the rematch in September and that was going to be set in stone, that was how it was going to go. And then Chris Eubank junior's team I guess wasn't on board or he wasn't on board and they couldn't get the deal done. So it looked like we were moving on. You know, Connor Ben staying at 147, potentially looking to fight big fights at 147. Ryan Garcia out there, who knows. And then for Chris Eubank Jr. We didn't really know is he going to fight again? Is he going to hang him up? Is he going to look to move back to 168 and try to compete at a higher level there. And we just didn't get any answers. You know, we just, we really did not know. So having this thing back on is great. Like I wouldn't have minded if they moved on from it, but this is great, you know, rematch, a highly contested fight the first time around. Tons of drama leading into the fight and you know, we do have to talk about a lot of that. It's not said here. In fact, on the website at the end of the article it says that it is unclear if the rematch will once again take place at £160, but it's believed that the weigh in terms will remain the same. This is going to be obviously something very controversial for people because the first fight was already controversial. A lot of people thinking Chris Eubank Jr. Shouldn't still be fighting at 160 pounds because it looks like it's a pretty tough weight cut for him. And then because this is not a natural 160 pounder in Connor Ben. Then you also have the rehydration clause from the first fight. That was a massive controversy. So much so that Chris Eubank Jr. Actually missed weight. It was a half of a pound or a half of a half of a pound. I'm not exactly sure the number but he missed and it cost him $500,000. That was insane the first time around. And again the rehydration clause makes it very difficult on I guess he'll be 35, maybe 36 year old. Chris Eubank clearly is not a natural 160 anymore. But then again you have Connor Ben coming up from 147. He's not supposed to be fighting at 160 and it's just a, it's a, it's a weird fight. It is as far as like trying to make it, it's an odd one. But I can't lie to you if I want to see it right, I do want to see the rematch. I thought both men looked great in the first fight. I thought Chris Eubank Jr. Pulled out a gutsy performance and was able to withstand some nasty, I mean earth shattering punches from Connor Ben. People talking about his power not carrying up to 160, it may not against other people but against Chris Eubank Jr. He was lighting him up with some of those shots. And Eubank not only weathered the storm but hit him back with even more big shots and then outclassed him on the way to a victory. So it is up to Connor Ben to change the tide here in the rematch. And I'm going to go ahead and, and say this because it's at 160 because I've now seen the first fight and the skill gap was not as big that as I thought it would potentially be. If Connor Ben was going to be outmatched, he was, he was outclassed, outboxed in that fight. But the skill gap wasn't bigger than the amount that Connor Ben can make up for, for, you know, better. Maybe a better approach, maybe a more technical approach, a more setup approach because throughout the fight all we watched was Connor Ben throw hammers. There was not a lot of setup punching from Connor Ben. There was a lot of hooks, right hands, straight punches, jab, right hand. But there wasn't a lot of faint jab, right hand wasn't a lot of double jab, right hand wasn't a lot of jab Work really in, in total from Connor been the first time around. And I'm going to be honest, I don't know if we would be able to see much different from Chris Eubank Jr. In the rematch. I don't know that there's much that he can show us in a rematch that we didn't already see from him. And I'm not he. He won the fight. He could probably do what he did in the first fight and still win. But I just think that the ceiling is kind of what we saw from Chris Eubank Jr. I don't know that he has much more to push past what we saw. I don't know if he didn't have his greatest night of fighting, he probably could have boxed more and traded less. If we want to say, you know, what's a more safe route for Chris Eubank Jr. And one that again him being the more technically skilled it looked like in the first fight and that's how he won. Maybe in a rematch he's more safe and stays behind his jab and doesn't look to engage as much and plays more defense and you know, drags out a decision that way. Definitely could be the case or just out boxes Connor Ben and doesn't take as many risks because he took some unnecessary risks. I mean, I mean, I don't know if you even want to call him unnecessary because those things needed to happen for Connor Ben to. To get stopped in his tracks a little bit and for Chris Eubank Jr. To gain some respect and be able to have some offense. He needed to stop the wild swings, he needed to stop the big time power of Connor Ben and sit in the pocket with him, you know, not all the fight, but multiple times to reestablish that. It was his fight to slow Connor Ben down, to back him off and take center of the ring. Again. He was have he had to do a little bit of that. So this time around will we see much different from Eubank? I just don't know that there's much different he can bring. Yeah, he can box you on the front foot, box you on the back foot, sit down in the pocket. But I think that's what he kind of already did the first time around. Again, maybe more defensive, we'll see. But I'm going to be honest, honest with you guys, when I think about this fight way too early because again, we're about three months away. The same factors that worried you in the first fight for Chris Eubank Jr. Even though he won, are going to be the same ones that were you again in this rematch, I think out of the two of them. Yeah, I mean Connor Ben going to 1 60s, not his natural weight class. He shouldn't be there either. But out of the two of them, the person that's going to be more compromised at that weight is probably Chris Eubank Jr. Not even probably is Chris Eubank Jr. Because of again the amount of weight he's cutting and the rehydration clause, it's hard to put weight on for sure. But depriving yourself of water and cutting weight and, and then depriving yourself for water longer do you hydrating yourself, you know, it's just not. I mean we saw he, he got, he's probably getting in trouble with the, the British boxing board of control for the sauna suit and him showing how the weight cut affected him. It's one of the worst practices in combat sports. I've said it for so long now, but it's just, it is what it is. Weight cutting is definitely a deterrent. More so in this matchup because I don't see Chris Eubank having the power to do much in terms of shaking Connor Ben. At least we didn't see that in the first fight. I think he's the one that's going up against the eight ball again more than Conor Ben. I think he's sacrificing more. But with that being said, this is why I think and again way too early prediction, I'm going to go Connor Ben again. I picked him in the first fight and again he was moments away from having some big time success and he hurt Chris Eubank Jr. With a couple of punches there. But for the most part Eubank Jr. Ran away with it and he outboxed him. And Connor Ben I thought didn't have a solid approach to landing his big time power because it was all power shots. It was all haymakers for the entirety of the fight. There was no speed and defense transition. There was no let me take some speed off of this one and use it as a range finder then ba bam and speed it back up and add some power to it. It was just hammers and I think he knows that in a rematch if he can do a little bit different, if he can make some adjustments to his game and keep that same tenacity and keep that same power and keep that same ferociousness forward and trying to take center of the ring and take the fight to Chris Eubank Jr. I think he's got a great chance of winning this fight and I'm going to Pick him to win this fight here. I don't know. I just think there's more opportunity for him to grow. He is the younger fighter, less experienced, but that fight gave him a ton of experience and now he knows the size isn't a big deal and it's not something where he's overmatched size wise. Yeah, Chris Eubank Jr. Can take some of his punches better than a 147 pounder could, but he still rocked him with big time shots. And again I just think a tweak in how he approaches the offense and a bit of more head movement, defense, a bit more slipping punches and countering off versus trading in the pocket for Connor Ben will will lead him to the promised land here. And I just think there's too many things that Chris Eubank Jr. He's, he's up against the eight ball with the weight cut, the age rehydration, the damage from the first. He took some real damage, both guys did. But it looked like Chris Eubank Jr. Took more damage. I mean the good thing for Eubank Jr. Is that he's felt probably the most that he could probably feel as far as power from Connor Ben. He's felt what it's like to get hit with a real flush shot. I mean he got clipped a couple different times so he knows kind of what to look out for. And again he may fight a more defensive, safe fight this time around, but I'm leaning Connor Ben and I know people aren't going to like that pick, but I just, I just think there's too many things going against Chris Eubank Jr. In this rematch. And Connor Ben has some stuff going against him too, I guess with the weight, but everything else, the youth, the speed, the power he has that he just needs to be able to box a little better. And that's the, the big question of how this fight will go because the boxing experience and the technical skill right now clearly go to Chris Eubank Jr. I do think Connor Ben can make up a little bit of that gap and fight a bit of a smarter fight this time around. That's, that's just my initial thoughts on the fight. I do wonder how this is going to go. You know, they both still don't like each other. Mutual respect from the first fight and the first fight was such a banger. I don't know how easy it's going to be for the second fight to live up to it. Like it's going to be really difficult to replicate that night. The moment here comes Chris Eubanks senior He's in the corner after being against the fight for months and months and that whole thing and again the fathers of the two sons being there. History repeats itself, that whole deal. I don't know if the hype is going to deliver like it did in the first fight but if it comes anywhere close and they just have another good scrap, then this is well worth it for the fame Again, a massive risk for both fighters because they're fighting at weights they normally shouldn't be at anymore. And I do wonder how Chris Eubanks senior sees this. Ultimately he came around and was there on fight night. Whether you want to believe that was because it was a work or because he just wanted to be there for his son or whatever. Right, he was there. But this time they've knowingly done the first one. What does he think about this one? Right. And I know Nigel Ben will be there for Conor, we know that. But. But yeah, when I talked to Connor when, when we were in New York, he was dead set on doing the rematch and it was like there was no doubt in his mind that he was going to win it. And then he also had some other ideas for 147. So it has to be now for Connor, Ben, for Chris Eubank Jr. And for this rematch. It has to be now because again Eubank Jr is getting older. Connor Ben needs to get his 147 career back on track. He needs to go back down and really if he wants to be a world champ, get more experience down there against top level guys. But they were going to do it. Now is the time. You couldn't really wait till the end of the year because then you're really starting to put a distance between both guys and what they're trying to do in their prospective careers. But listen, this one's going to be controversial. I'm not going to lie to you and say that, that there's not disadvantages on both sides and that it is a bit of an odd fight for both guys but it was the first time and it created match. I'm also not going to lie and say I'm not excited for this because I am, I am excited for it. I'm sorry, I do want to watch a rematch between the two. Even though we did get a definitive first fight, it was a good back and forth and Connor Bid did show a good fight. Chris Eubank Jr. Did everything he did to put Ben back in his spot and showcase his ability. I just think this time around it's going to be a different story because I Think this time around Connor Ben's going to win it again too. Early predictions and I may flip flop but for now I'm holding steady. I think Conor gets him this time around for the youth, for speed and power for now. The experience of being in there at that weight against Chris Eubank Jr. I think he has more ways to get better and less things to overcome than Chris Eubank Jr. To get this one done in the second time around. I don't know if that sets up a trilogy, I have no idea. But I do want to see this fight. I am excited for this fight. It is back. Chris Eubank Jr. Connor Ben, the rematch and it's going to be in Tottenham Stadium again which the turnout was incredible for last time. I was there live myself and my guy. True Jordy. So I. I don't know exactly how that'll look this time around. I don't know what the undercard is going to look like this time around but they had a great one in the first especially my boy Vidal Riley. Can he get on that undercard and get his fight again in his home stadium in Tottenham? I have no idea. And also who wins? Think the weight will be 160? I don't know for sure. And Chris Eubank senior, will he be there? Nigel, the whole thing. Listen, I only have questions right now but we do have one answer answer and that is the rematch is official. What do you think about this fight? Let me know down below. And as far as who wins on the night. Don't have those answers either but guess we'll find out. All right folks, we are back on the way. Concept presented by the Ring magazine and today I am taking a look at the face to face that went down almost a week ago now. I don't know how I didn't see this but I definitely missed it. Between Salt Poppy and Tony Ferguson for Misfits 22. What are they? I forgot what it's called. I'm working the card. King of Thrones. Ring of Thrones. I'm sorry, I should have known that. But Ring of Thrones it's going down. AO Arena. It features Darren Till, Luke Rockhold in the main event. We're going to take a look at the face off for the co main event between Tony Furze and Salt Papi. It also has Dylan Danis vs. Warren the mechanic Spencer and Misfits. First for you into mma. But today I want to get into the face to face that happened between Super Saul Papi and Tony Ferguson because listen, this fight is interesting for multiple reasons. I want to see if there's any mental games being played or whatever else we can take away from Tony Ferguson's mindset. Really, I just want to see where Tony's mind is because I think I know where Salt Poppy is. I know what he's going to bring to this fight when he's super dangerous. But I want to see what does Tony Ferguson have? What, what is he thinking is going to be different this time around in boxing versus, you know, what's going on with him in MMA and the age, experience, wear and tear, all that. Let's take a look. But before we do, I want to say a big thank you to the sponsor of today's video. And one of the coolest things I've ever done is being the smackdown champ with Drumstick. Guys, if you didn't know, this weekend I was out at Summer Slam. That's right. Day one and day two, I got to see all the WWE Superstars, the fans. I got to go to MetLife Stadium. It was awesome. And it was all thanks to America's favorite snack since 1928. Drumstick. Drumstick allowed me to come out and showcase their snack to the world. And again, it was awesome because I got to show people what it meant to partake in the best snack in the world and to just showcase Drumstick in the best way possible. On day one, I was talking to fans, having them cut promos for me, introducing them to the snacks, showing them the delectable treat between the beautiful cone, the vanilla taste, the chocolate topping, nuts as well, everything thing in a delectable sweet treat. Day two, we actually got to go into the stadium. That's right. I got to go ringside at SummerSlam. Day two where all the superstars were wrestling, taking their bumps, entertaining the crowd, the masses of thousands of thousands of people. And I got to be there with Drumstick highlighting it all. If you guys want to learn more about why I'm so excited about Drumstick, why I was so excited to work with him and hopefully can in the future. Yes, it's because it's American, America's favorite snack since 1928, but it's also because they have a summer snack down sweepstakes going on right now. Click the link in the description and make sure you guys check it out for yourselves. You do not want to miss all the cool prizes that come with it. Other things that they're offering over there. Make sure you guys follow Drumstick on Instagram. That link will also be in the description. And once again, check out the Drumstick Summer snack down sweepstakes. Thank you to Drumstick for having me out, for sponsoring this video. But now let's get back into the face to face. Let's see what happened. All right, so let's check this out. Tony Ferguson, Salt, Poppy, face to face with our guy B.L. running the show. Let's see what happened.

[Puzzle Guest]

This dude made that walk. I'm making the walk for my first time. You have eight fights and I have zero. Everybody's underwriting me. They're saying he gonna knock me out and everything. 90%, Tony, you're fighting a fucking info.

[Host]

If we're gonna get the Tony FERGUSON Math again, 90% also, they were supposed to. They're supposed to be using these subtitles to say what he actually said. Tony keeps saying people are underwriting him. I think he means to say that people are underestimating him for this fight. I'm not sure who's Tony's underwriter, but I don't. I don't know that he understands what that word means.

[Puzzle Guest]

Everybody's underwriting me there.

[Host]

They even said underestimating. They got you, Tony. Those captions saved you.

[Puzzle Guest]

I mean, they're saying he gonna knock me out and everything. 90%, Tony, you're fighting a fucking influence. So there goes the other 20%. That all negative.

[Host]

He did it again. Not even into the video. It's just the preview. And Tony is saying that 9020 again. Someone needs to get with Tony Ferguson and let him know that 90% plus 20% is not 100%, it's 110. Maybe he just thinks 110% is how his life is. Right? 110% effort, 110% of fans, 110% of profit. I don't know. He. Tony has got his own way of doing things. So maybe it's just, you know, his inner workings coming out.

[Puzzle Guest]

Any person that's got the fucking balls to walk through the door and to stay there is a fucking fighter, bro. I'm gonna go out there on August 30th, and I'm gonna handle everything that I need to go and get that victory.

[Interviewer]

Have you watched any of his fights? What do you make of them? Dangerous.

[Puzzle Guest]

I'm dangerous.

[Interviewer]

So, you know, this is your biggest moment.

[Host]

I was gonna say we're 32 seconds in. I don't know. Is this like a preview? Because Salt has said nothing, which, again, I don't expect him to say anything, but, like, Tony is carrying right now. Also, Tony's pants look like. Like football pants with, like, thigh pads in Them. I love it.

[Interviewer]

Tony Salt, It's a pleasure to see you both. To be honest, I am so surprised I'm seeing this face off right now when this.

[Host]

I'm not gonna lie, I don't even know Salt Poppy's actual name. That's crazy. I've known him for, like five years now, and I don't know his name. I'm the asshole in this situation. But just hearing Tony Salt, I don't know his name.

[Interviewer]

It's got announced. I had to double check. I had to refresh, I think, the whole world of refreshing because they didn't believe this was gonna happen. So. So I'm actually gonna come to you first. When you got that phone call from Mams Taylor to say you were fighting this man that you were fighting, a former UFC interim champion, what was your reaction to that?

[I]

I mean, I was shocked. Like, I really can't believe because. And obviously not a lot of people get this type of opportunity. And so I'm like, I'm so grateful for Misfit boxing, for giving me this fight. Big fights back to back. And, yeah, when. When I heard that I was gonna fight Tony Ferguson, there's something I couldn't say. Now I'm gonna be sharing the ring with the legend, legendary fighter, and, yeah, I can't wait. That's it.

[Interviewer]

Antonio, I asked you the same question when you got the call.

[Host]

Misfits does clearly think of Salt Papi as, like a superstar. You look at his social numbers, they're ridiculous. Like, he does have a high level of social interaction. He's got charisma, he's got swagger. He can fight. So they look at him as someone that can take over the mantle potentially, you know, to some degree with. I think it's going to be more than one person that's going to have to fill the void of KSI when he stops fighting. But so Poppy, they look at as one of those guys, even after the Slim loss, even after the Anthony Taylor loss, they look at him as a guy to lead whatever they're going toward in the next two, three years. So, yeah, I mean, he keeps getting these massive opportunities because he does deliver. Even in losses, he delivers fun fights. So they clearly see him as a star, which is why he's gotten this opportunity.

[Interviewer]

And he said, you're fighting Salt Pappy. Did you even know who Salt Pappy was?

[Puzzle Guest]

No. Nathaniel, right? Nathan.

[I]

Nathan.

[Puzzle Guest]

Nathan, Nathan.

[Host]

Okay, I forgot. Yes, He's. He's told me his name before. He said Daniel, Me and Tony Bo. But look at the Respect from Tony here.

[I]

Nathan.

[Puzzle Guest]

No, I didn't know when it goes in.

[Host]

Nathan. Okay. All right. Nah, we doing Salt Poppy is a good stage name. All right.

[Puzzle Guest]

To YouTube and it goes into influencers and TikTok. I don't have anything against it. I'm gonna be real. I wasn't competing when everybody was doing everything. I was. I saved it for when it really mattered, like now, which is pretty cool. So, I mean, nothing against you. I really don't know. But I know you have, what, eight fights?

[I]

Eight fights.

[Puzzle Guest]

Now you have eight fights and I have zero. This is my pro debut. I was never allowed to box. So it's different in mma. It's different. We have no shoes in MMA and we have to worry about takedowns. So now it's different. It's an opportunity for me to be able to go in there, play another sport. I come from multi sport background when it comes to that way, so it's awesome. As soon as I got the phone call to be able to box. Nothing against gfl, that's still there, but I need to stay busy. I like. I like to fight. I like to compete.

[Host]

I don't know if anybody needs to let Tony know, but GFL is not still there. I'm sorry. Like, you know, I know that Tony was supposed to be one of the big signees at gfl, and I think he was even supposed to fight Dylan Danis. I'm not sure. But someone has to let Tony know that shit is not happening. That ship has not only sailed, it set sail and crashed immediately. Nobody's protecting their neck at gfl. It's not happening, dude.

[Puzzle Guest]

And this dude went from a lot of big heavyweight all the way down to where he's at. And I don't think a lot of people give social media influencers a lot of credit, because an athlete's a natural.

[Host]

Sorry, I got to stop again. What did Dylan say in my interview about what Salt Poppy was? Because Tony's talking about, you know, Salt Poppy losing weight, and he started at heavyweight. Now he's come down to, I think they're fighting at, like, 160, 170. I'm not sure. But when I asked Dylan why he wasn't fighting Tony, he said, tony, Tony, he's fighting someone that started fat to skinny. I don't know what Tony is doing. He's fighting someone that started fat to skinny. Dylan's the man. I know y' all hate him, but.

[Puzzle Guest]

He'S a go dude, in my opinion. And we're gonna go in there he's gonna try to hit me, I'm gonna try to hit him, so it's gonna go out there.

[Interviewer]

Have you watched any of his fights?

[Puzzle Guest]

Of course.

[Interviewer]

What do you make of them?

[Puzzle Guest]

Southpaw?

[Interviewer]

Dangerous.

[Puzzle Guest]

I'm dangerous.

[Interviewer]

Can he cause you any issues?

[Puzzle Guest]

Not unless I want him to.

[Interviewer]

How about you? You've obviously seen his fights.

[Host]

Yeah, I'm not gonna lie. Salt Poppy can cause Tony some issues regardless if he wants him to or not. I don't think Tony is taking him lightly. I don't really know, but the last thing you want to do, especially when you come over as an MMA guy to boxing, we've talked about it in nausea. But to take these guys lightly because they haven't trained as long in martial arts or they're not as committed to the sport as some of these high level veterans were or are, is a mistake. Again, I'm not saying Tony's doing this, but Sal Papi has the power, the speed, the timing to cause Tony some real problems. And yeah, Tony can, can be dangerous for sure. You know, whatever he's got left, I don't know, we'll see. But out of the two of them in a boxing ring, I am leaning toward not even leaning. I am fully thinking that Salt is more dangerous.

[I]

I've seen a lot of his fights. Like, you know, yeah, it's a big step up for me, it's a big challenge for me. But yeah, this will prove that I'm ready for the big challenge like Tony.

[Interviewer]

Have you seen the online reaction to this as well? I mean, it's been going all over Twitter. This is a really good.

[Puzzle Guest]

He said he's gonna knock me out.

[I]

Yes. I just like, I just can't believe what the fans are saying because look at Usyk, 38, Mandy Pacquiao, 46. Tony is only 41. He's gonna be strong as hell. And I'm gonna have to like, you know, I'm gonna be struggling. Yeah, for sure.

[Host]

Yeah. That comparison don't work. Manny Pacquiao at 46, that was an anomaly. That was insane to see, by the way. A lot about how good Manny was as a boxer. Eight division world champion, not an MMA fighter that's 41, that's already declining in his own sport and declined in his own sport to then come over and start boxing. You're talking about Manny Pacquiao, who even at the end of his career was still fighting, you know, losing some fights, but fighting at around a top level. And then came back and fought Mario Barrios, who's Probably one of the worst champions in boxing, but still, I thought won the fight. Usyk, at 38 again, been boxing all his life, is a world class, probably one of the best boxers we've ever seen. So to act like, oh, yeah, I can't believe the fans were saying Tony's gonna get slept when Tony is never boxed and he's 41 and he's on like a seven fight losing streak in MMA. That's insane. I want Salt to address though, when Tony's like, yeah, you said you're gonna knock me out. Say it to him. Salt loves to talk, like, talk in the ring. He will talk his shit in the ring, but this one, he even said he's going to knock Tony out. I want to see him, you know, Yeah, I am going to knock you out. Yeah, yeah. Here's why. But he's not, he's not addressing that. I want to see him address that.

[Puzzle Guest]

He said he's going to knock me out. So I've got fuel for the fire to be able to train for the last four years in mma. Like when Khabib and Conor never wanted to fight because those fucking guys are pussies. You stepped them forward in the line and you're. Yeah, yeah. A lot of people, they just don't do it. Like, a lot of the fights, they and interest me. This is a new sport. It's a new avenue for me to be able to go. If I want to go play pro baseball later on. Whatever. I'm talking to my agent. This is another avenue for me.

[Host]

Tony Ferguson just say he wants to go play pro baseball later on. I love Tony, I do. And I love his childlike aspiration to do all the things he never got to do as a youngster, as a child. But you are not playing professional baseball at 42, 3. Whenever, later on is no, in no world, in no fantasy is that happening. I love him and I hope he tries. I really do. Not even. Like, I'm not, I'm not trying to sit here and laugh at Tony. That's not, that's not the thing. I just love the fact that he doesn't ever give up. Honestly, I love. Bewilders me. It's nonsensical. It not. It will not happen, him playing at a professional level unless it's like a, you know, a farm league team that kind of gives him the Michael Jordan treatment. Like, all right, try it. But I just love that he's like, it. I still am going to do these things. My age doesn't matter. Like, I Love that. It's just. That will not happen.

[Puzzle Guest]

And like I said, I'm not gonna bullshit him no more. I can't. So I can't stand back anymore, man.

[Interviewer]

So Tony said that you said you were gonna knock him out. Now he's in front of you. Do you still believe that?

[Host]

Good question.

[I]

I do have a lucky one punch knockout and that's all I can do, really. If it happens, it happens.

[Host]

But, yeah, oh, salts playing like, oh, yeah, I just got the lucky one punch. Why is he doing that? We all know that you're better than a lucky one punch knockout. And if it happens, it happens. Just, just, just be about it. You know what I'm saying? Talk your stuff. This isn't like a you trying to disrespect Tony thing. And I know Salt likes to be respectful and not talk, but he's kind of playing like, oh, I am just the influencer, da, da, da type of thing. I wish he would kind of stand on business with it and be like, yeah, you know, listen, I, I think he, I think I could touch him on the chin. You know, he's, he's agree. He's a legend in the UFC and, you know, I appreciate him for that or whatever, but he's coming into my realm and I'm going to show him why this game's different. That wouldn't be him disrespecting Tony. That would just be stating matter of factly what he wants to do. I want to see that because I know he's confident in what he's going to do. I just don't know why he won't say it.

[Interviewer]

Tony, you fought people like Barbosa, Pettis, Gaethje, the top of the food chain. Why now, Salt, Pappy?

[Puzzle Guest]

Because Nathan's cool, man. Like, he's enough to be able to want to go out there and put his record on the line.

[Host]

He was like, yeah, Daniel's pretty cool guy. Like, oh, shit, Nathan.

[Puzzle Guest]

To anybody else that doesn't understand the complexity of walking through a fucking boxing gym door, how hard it is. It's easier to stay there. It's harder to walk through there. Get that first initial walk through there. This dude made that walk. I'm making the walk for my first time. Am I nervous? Yeah, I was a little nervous. This is boxing. But if I didn't have that nervous energy, doesn't matter if I had him or anybody else in front of it, I'm not gonna fucking do it. I wasn't even feeling that for MMA anymore. And it was Just fucking boring as shit to me. It was just like, I was just doing it just to fucking do it so people could see me compete until we both parted ways in a good. Not cut, both ways. If I got my shit and I wanted my stuff and I go back, yeah, maybe. But I got other things to accomplish, and I'm gonna go out there on August 30th, and I'm gonna handle everything that I need to go and get that victory.

[Interviewer]

What's this?

[Host]

Fired up, man. He's fired up. Yeah. Listen, Tony left the ufc, maybe, you know, the way they. I don't know. I don't know how it was done, but it was the right decision for the ufc, obviously, to not have Tony in any more fights because he was losing consistently, taking tons of damage consistently, you know? And Tony, it just didn't. Whether he wasn't into it or not anymore, he was going to continue losing fights. The competition level in the game had just passed him by. That's really simply all it was. Whether they cut him, whether he left doesn't really matter. It was a good decision. So I'm glad he's. If he's going to compete in combat sports, I'm glad he's doing this versus doing that, if that makes sense. Probably making a shit ton more money over here. I mean, again, the danger when you step into combat sports is there regardless. So the people that are upset about him continuing to fight, this would have happened in the ufc, it would have happened in any other boxing match. It would have happened to kickboxing. So I. I get it. But at the same time, if he wants to compete, this is probably the best option for him.

[Interviewer]

Transition being, like, from MMA to boxing. Because you've mentioned multiple times now that it's a completely different sport. So how are you going to transition in this time against someone that's already had eight fights and still have a chance?

[Puzzle Guest]

I've been wanting to box since I was little. I was never allowed to. I grew up in Michigan. My pops raised me military in the country, and I was able to have heavy bags unless I bought five bottom and speed bags. I'm hitting the speed bags since I was about 14, 13, 15, something like that. And I would always break my bags and stuff, but I was. My boss tells me, he's like, I'm not paying for your school. You're gonna go to college. He's like, in my roof, you're gonna go to college. He's like, you're gonna play sports in order to get yourself a scholarship. And I did pick my choice, and I did that. Now all of my stuff kind of like went down and I've collected every single side quest. You play video games, you understand side quests. You understand all this kind of. I did every. Everything from knockout of the night, submission night, fight of the year, ultimate fighter trophy, UFC belt. Like, dude, I've gone all of this shit. I don't really care because I'd love that stuff, but I want to collect more. I got a bunch of medals for wrestling. I got national championship, state championship football ring for wrestling.

[Host]

And like, like, does Tony wear his high school football, state championship ring around? Hell yeah, dude. I actually kind of with that because I know. I mean, my. My little brother won a state title, and I don't. I don't even think he knows where his ring is. Like, you can tell. He. I don't know that Tony wanted to be a mixed martial artist. I don't know that he. Like the way he talks about other sports he wants to do. Maybe he just wanted to play a ton of different sports. He wants to be an athlete. He talks about football, he talks about wrestling, talks about baseball, talks about boxing. This is him again being a big kid, getting to live out his dream of doing the other sports he never got to do as a. As a. As a kid. I think that's a cool storyline.

[Puzzle Guest]

I like collecting shit, and I don't like collecting losses. I had to demonstrate to everybody what humility was so that way everybody could understand that nobody's perfect. And if they took it with a grain of salt, maybe they learned something.

[Interviewer]

So when you hear all these accolades.

[Host]

I don't know what that meant from Tony. He said he had to demonstrate humility so everybody can understand how to take a loss. Is he like. Is he acting like, oh, I had to lose so I could show people how to lose? I don't think he wanted to lose those fights. I don't know. I'm just. I don't know. Sometimes Tony be saying stuff, I'm like, maybe it's going over my head. I don't know.

[Interviewer]

And you see what it's achieved. How do you maintain the confidence, confidence and the calmness that you have right now?

[I]

I'm Cook.

[Host]

Yeah.

[I]

And yeah, I do. I do have a chance because I do have one punch, knockout power. And, yeah, we'll just see what happened August 30th, and I'll be ready for the best. Tony Ferguson.

[Interviewer]

Is that how you win the fight? It's through a knockout punch?

[I]

I can. I can try to win, like, you know, by points. But I always want to go for the knockout.

[Interviewer]

Knockout.

[I]

Because of the knockout bonus.

[Puzzle Guest]

There's a knockout bonus?

[Interviewer]

Yes.

[Puzzle Guest]

You know, I was broke when I was in the Ultimate Fighter. I was broke in the Ultimate Fighter. I went there, like, my wife was helping me pay my rent, and my. And I go in there. Ramsey Nigem said this. He's like, 5K, baby. Because he went in there and he finished somebody.

[I]

And I was like, it's more.

[Interviewer]

I think it's 25.

[Puzzle Guest]

Wait a minute.

[Interviewer]

Wait. I think this is 25.

[Puzzle Guest]

I was like, wait, yeah. Oh, shit. It would go. We're making rent now.

[I]

There's Fighter of the Night as well.

[Interviewer]

Fighter of the night?

[I]

Yeah.

[Puzzle Guest]

Two chances, 50K. It's a big deal. Maybe we can make him double it.

[Interviewer]

When a crossover boxer tells you that.

[Host]

They think, yeah, I mean, listen, that's a cooler answer from Salt, papi. Like, yeah, I maybe could win. Even though he's still trying to play coy. Like, ah. You know, I just got the one knockout punch. That's really all I got. Bullshit. But saying like, yeah, listen, I want to finish the fight. I want to get that knockout bonus. And then Tony being like, let's double it, ma'. Am. Open your pocketbook, son. Open up the wallet. Cut the check.

[Interviewer]

They can knock you out. What's your reaction to that?

[Puzzle Guest]

Nothing. I've. I've played. I've been wrestling for a long time in freestyle wrestling, where you had to stand next to your opponent, right? So I've had people, mean, mug me, try to be my best friend, hate me, not, say, doing all this stuff. And I've got thousands of wrestling matches with shoes on different.

[Host]

So you. He has a good point. Like, when Salt says he wants to knock Tony out, Tony's like, I've heard it all. Like, it doesn't bother me. I've had people try to be nice, be mean, not say anything. Mean mugby. But then he adds the. With the shoes on part. I know he's fighting in shoes, and it is different than fighting not with shoes on. But I don't know what the. If he thinks the ultimate difference between MMA and boxing is I get to wear shoes. I mean, that's not it. But he keeps focusing on the shoes. Maybe he just has some sick boxing shoes he wants to wear. He's like, yo, I'm showing up in Jordans, Amanda Serrano style. What's up, dude? Finally. I've been trying to wear Jordan in all my fights.

[Interviewer]

No, this is your biggest Moment on this stage when it comes to misfits. Boxing.

[I]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

How are you going to deal with that pressure, the anxiety, the nerves?

[Puzzle Guest]

I can't draw a line on this and everything like that. Any person that's got the balls to walk through the door and to stay there is a fighter, bro. Like, I'm not even playing anymore. I don't give a. And that's the hardest part is getting off your couch, getting off your ass and getting into a gym. I went to the boxing gym over here. It was 12, three or some gym. The guy didn't know who the I was, for one. I didn't give a. I'm just there. I was asking if I could hit the boxing. He's like. And he busted out his laptop and seeing if he could make a schedule, like calling this guy. I'm like, I just walked over the bag and kind of hit it. And I was like, no, this isn't where I want to be. You kind of understand where, like with people, they kind of think like that that's not who I want to be with. They can off. And I can understand you've probably been the same way. Cuz everybody's underwriting me. They're saying he going to knock me out and everything.

[Host]

I'm. I'm. So the question was asked to salt Poppy. He didn't even answer. Tony starts talking about how he walked into a gym in the UK and the guy didn't know him. So he was trying to figure out if he could let him in. Tony touched the bag and got a bad vibe. And it's like, I don't want to be here. They can off. I have no idea what the f is going on. What the hell is happening here.

[Puzzle Guest]

Can understand. You've probably been the same way. Because everybody's underwriting me. They're saying he gonna knock me out and everything. 90%. But then everybody's saying, tony, you're fighting a fucking influencer. So there goes the other 20%. They're all fucking negative. Like, come on.

[I]

Yeah.

[Host]

It'S all Bobby said. Yeah. Like I. I don't know what the to say to that. The overall message from Tony is like, yeah, I'm. I'm pissed that people think this influencer is gonna knock me out. And then something about the fact that, you know, 90% think that I can't even fight anyway. But the other 20, even though it should be 10, think that the influencer is gonna knock me out because he's better than me in boxing too. So he's frustrated I get it. But he's not articulating it very well. It's all. Poppy's confused.

[I]

What. I can just do my best, man. I'm gonna do my best. That's it.

[Puzzle Guest]

Get me heated. I'm supposed to get mad at him, but I'm not. When it goes into an athlete, we're gonna both prepare and we're gonna do our and we're go out there and you guys are gonna have a amazing show. So you guys need to buy that don't stream. Like whenever I fight, I know you guys are buying this shit. I just fucking know because you guys have that much respect for me. I'm that OG when it comes to this original genius kind of shit. So.

[I]

By the pay per view.

[Puzzle Guest]

Yeah, pay per views, man. Like seriously, like a lot of people, them, whatever they got to think and shit like that. You got a couple fighters that are on this card, they're gonna go out there and they're giving their. Not because I'm just fighting, but this is a fucking dope ass card, man.

[Host]

Dude. And Tony is right, like he has a lot of OG fans. Original genius is not one I've heard for, for OG original gangster, you know what I'm saying? But he's kind of both. Oh, he's a gangster, always has been in mma and he does have a loyal fan base. And I do think that that fan base will come over and watch Tony because they've watched him in the ufc, they watched him, you know, ascend to the highest of highs and then obviously they watched the losing streak there at the end. So they've always stood by his side. I think that the Misfits did a great job getting him on this card if he wanted to fight, which it seems like he does. I personally don't think Tony should be fighting anymore. But if he's going to fight, he's going to do it somewhere and he's probably going to make the most money doing it here at Misfits. So fair play. And I do, I think he commands a great audience.

[Interviewer]

Agree more. So I've just got a couple more questions before we wrap things up. I'm going to start off with you, Tony. We're only a matter of few weeks away now. What's your prediction for this fight when that bell rings? How does the fight go for you?

[Puzzle Guest]

I'm going to have to turn in. I don't like to talk too much about like other like that. You guys gonna have to tune in when it goes into it. You guys gonna be in For a good fight. It's gonna be amazing. Camp. Camp's been cool already. It's awesome. Look at my new hairline, too. Thank you, Bosley.

[Host]

Look, I said, honestly, how do you not love him? Look at my new hairline. Thanks. Did he say, thanks, Bosley? That's awesome?

[Interviewer]

So awesome.

[Host]

He put a little hair dye in there, too. You could tell. He. He went a little just for men, a touch of gray, right? Silver fox, Tony. I like it.

[Interviewer]

Same question. How does this fight go for you?

[I]

I just do whatever it takes to win and hope I get lucky.

[Puzzle Guest]

Don't bite me.

[Host]

Yeah, don't bite my ear.

[Puzzle Guest]

Just kidding.

[Interviewer]

Let's put Mike Tyson on it.

[Puzzle Guest]

I'm gonna hit him. He's gonna try to hit me, and that's how it's gonna go for mine.

[Interviewer]

Well, this is gonna be one of the final times, you guys.

[Host]

I hate that salt. Papi keeps saying, like, oh, I'm just gonna try to get lucky, bro. Just be about it, dude. We all know you're confident. Set yourself up. Call your shot. If he was just being humble like that' him being humble, right? That's just him being like, oh, you know, I'm just the influencer. It's like playing a character. I get it. But I want him to, like, you know, stand on that. We've seen it. You can't hide it from us anymore.

[Interviewer]

You know, Face off before we get into fight week. So can I get some final words from you both?

[I]

Salt first May the best memory, sir.

[Interviewer]

That's about it. Do you have any final words for salt Packy?

[Puzzle Guest]

I'll see you 30th. I'll see you on the 30th handshake.

[I]

Thank you, sir.

[Interviewer]

It's been an absolute pleasure. Thank you so much.

[I]

A lot of people want to do handshake and, like, you know, I don't know why.

[Puzzle Guest]

Marsh, put your hand up.

[Interviewer]

This guy.

[Puzzle Guest]

My hands are bigger than.

[Interviewer]

He got big hands. He got big hands.

[Host]

I know my hands are bigger than Brock's. Tony's so awesome, dude. He's off. Put your hand up here. Let me see. Got big hands.

[Interviewer]

Well, I appreciate both your time. Thank you so much. Been an absolute honor doing this Face off and make sure you're getting your ticket and going and watching it live on the zone. August 30th, Manchester AO Arena.

[Puzzle Guest]

Let's go.

[Host]

That was awesome. Tony is a pleasure to listen to, even if it is a bit confusing. If he is all over the place, he's still Tony Ferguson. And the reason you love him as a fighter is because of that. His personality is erratic, sometimes doesn't make any sense, but you know, he's passionate about what he's doing, right? He's not doing something he doesn't care about. He's always been that way with the ufc. He's doing that now with the crossover boxing space. I want to see him stay safe. I know that's not maybe even possible because he's fighting and it is combat sports, but obviously, in my opinion, I'm still sticking with Salt Poppy winning this fight. I say obviously, and it's only. It's not a disrespect to Tony. It's just because of the situation and where we're at, right? Tony's career, his age, the mileage, the wear and tear, the lack of experience, specifically just boxing. I mean, he alluded to it. Salt Poppy's got eight fights. He's got none. Jake made a career off this when he first started. Boxing is bringing guys in that had never boxed that were high level MMA fighters and exploiting the difference between high level MMA and, you know, entry level box. There are completely different sports. You guys just watched me get rag dolled by Dylan Danis after having a decent enough showing in my first ever little boxing match. It's. It's not even close. And this is why you don't see boxers go to mma, because they're not the same sport and they would get rag dolls and destroyed. So I expect the same formula. I mean, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Time and time again we've seen it. I expect Soul Poppy to win this, but I could be wrong. And fight week is almost here now. We're a couple of weeks away. I'm gonna be traveling all over the country, so it's the last time you guys will see me in the setup room for a while. But the next time you see me on a broadcast will be in Florida. I'm gonna be doing some stuff with MVP. Their prospects card coming up on the 2022. Then I will be in Manchester at the AO arena for misfits. 22 fun fights, fun week, fun month ahead. But as far as what happens with Tony Ferguson, Salt Poppy, I think I know. But on August 30th, guess we'll find out.

[Lenovo Ad Voice]

In the heat of battle, your squad relies on you. Don't let them down. Unlock elite gaming [e-mail] Dominate every match with next level speed, seamless stream and performance that won't quit. And push your gameplay beyond limits. With Intel Core Ultra processors. That's the power of Lenovo with Intel inside. Maximize your edge by [e-mail] during their back to school sale. That's lenovo.com lenovo Lenovo.

[Puzzle Host]

Let'S start with a quick puzzle. The answer is Ken Jennings appearance on the puzzler with A.J. jacobs. The question is what is the most entertaining listening experience in podcast land Jeopardy truthers believe in?

[Puzzle Guest]

I guess they would be conspiracy theorists.

[Host]

That's right, they give you the answers.

[Puzzle Guest]

And you still blew it.

[Puzzle Host]

The Puzzler listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Shock Incarceration Host]

What would you do if one bad decision forced you to choose between a maximum security prison or the most brutal boot camp designed to be hell on earth? Unfortunately for Mark Lombardo, this was the choice he faced.

[Host]

He said, you are a number, a New York State number, and we own you.

[Shock Incarceration Host]

Listen to Shock incarceration on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[John Hope Bryant]

It's Black Business Month and Money and wealth podcast with John Hope Bryant is tapping in. I'm breaking down how to build wealth, create opportunities, and move from surviving to thriving. It's time to talk about ownership, equity and everything in between. Black and brown communities have historically been last in line. Let me just say this AI is moving faster than civil rights legislation ever did. Listen to Money and Wealth from the Black Effect podcast network on iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Host]

This is an iHeart podcast.