Jake Paul claims he’s showing early signs of CTE after starting boxing

Paul is currently training to fight former UFC fighter Ben Askren

YouTuber and social media influencer-turned-boxer, Jake Paul, fears he may be suffering from CTE since starting boxing.

We’ve seen a number of YouTubers and content creators try their hand at other passion projects and boxing specifically: KSI, Logan Paul and now his younger brother, Jake Paul.

However, the transition from such starkly opposed professions is huge and both the skill level and physical requirements take years of training. That being said, now staring down his third professional fight, Jake Paul has claimed that he has shown “early signs of CTE” following his first two fights and sparring.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), previously known as ‘punch drunk’ syndrome, is a progressive brain condition caused by blows to the head and subsequent brain trauma. Paul revealed this information in the final press conference before his next challenge against former UFC fighter, Ben Askren, who won 19 out of his 22 MMA fights – with six of those being knockouts.

You can see the highlights of the press conference below. In the final minute of the video – when speaking about those who have questioned his dedication to the sport – he reveals that he has received brain scans showing evidence of the progressive brain condition.

As you can see, Paul insists that although “It’s a dangerous sport”, he loves it and is clearly frustrated by those who doubt how seriously he is committed to competing professionally, saying that “when people question my dedication to it, it’s like, I’m showing up every single day”.

He went on to say: “I’m putting my mental health on the line, my brain is on the line […] I love this sport and wouldn’t trade it for anything else. I’m a fighter and people will see that whether it’s after Saturday night or whether it’s a year from now they will see that I’m a fighter.

The presser was filled with usual smack-talk, with Paul describing himself as “an elite fighter” and stating that “everyone [he] fights becomes a global superstar for 15 minutes”, before he “knocks them out and no one ever talks about them again”.

To put things into context, his previous two fights were against Ali Al Fakri, a.k.a, ‘AnEsonGib’ and former NBA player, Nate Robinson. So, although it’s true they were not exactly household names, the Paul family name is arguably only more notable for all the wrong reasons.

Jake Paul currently finds himself subject to an alleged sexual assault case and his brother Logan is probably best known for posting a video of himself and friends filming dead bodies in Aokigahara, the ‘Japanese suicide forest’.