"He's crazy" - Israel Adesanya reveals how his perception of Jake Paul changed over time
Israel Adesanya made his thoughts on Jake Paul clear when he sat down with comedian Andrew Schulz and the controversial Charlamagne tha God for an almost two-hour episode of the Brilliant Idiots podcast.
The middleweight king labeled Paul "crazy" while also giving the 25-year-old props for his dedication and drive within boxing.
Adesanya shared a story of his long talk with the younger Paul brother following Jake Paul's knockout win over Nate Robinson. Israel said:
"Nah, Jake Paul's no joke man. This is the thing, when he fought Nate Robinson, I was there. I commentated that fight, right. And, I ended up at his house later on and I didn't realize how big of a fan he was... Being at his house, talking to him, we talked for a long time and then I kind of realized, like, man, this guy, he's crazy. And guess what? Those are the ones that get it done."
The former kickboxer was surprised with his fellow combat sportsman's attitude to competing. Adesanya also went on to claim the internet sensation is "serious" in his pursuit for greatness in the boxing world:
"He was serious about boxing. People just thought, like, he's just doing this for fun, he's just doing this to try and make money, or get clout or whatever, but I was like, no... And he's got all the funds. All the access to be able to get it done."
Adesanya continued by suggesting that Paul will want to test himself against professional boxers in the future. The UFC middleweight champion indicated that he'd enjoy watching a matchup between Paul and Tommy Fury.
Watch the entire interview with Israel Adesanya below:
Jake Paul's boxing career thus far
Jake Paul has gone from strength to strength despite beginning his amateur boxing career with an underwhelming victory over Deji Olatunji.
His consecutive knockouts of YouTuber AnEsonGib, basketball player Nate Robinson, and former Bellator and ONE welterweight champion Ben Askren proved to the world that he's the real deal.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer caught the public's attention when he was twice victorious over former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.
His first decision win in the sport was followed by a monstrous viral knockout which ended with Woodley face-first on the canvas.
While there's no official word on his return to boxing, we can expect Paul to face off against Tommy Fury sometime in the near future.