MIAMI — The Paul family has its first pro win.
Nearly three months after claiming the sport was fixed after watching his brother suffer a loss in Los Angeles, Jake Paul got it right in his own pro debut. He had plenty of help, as AnEson Gib’s fighting style — or lack thereof — left him wide open as Paul scored a 1st round knockout in the co-feature attraction Thursday evening at Meridian at Island Gardens in Miami, Florida.
Three knockdowns by Ohio’s Paul prompted referee Chris Paul to stop the battle of YouTube personalities at 2: of round one.
From the outset, it was clear that the fight was going to head in one direction. Paul enjoyed a great size advantage, and apparently plenty more in the skills department. Gib (birth name Ali Loui Al-Fakhri) came forward, awkwardly flailing his arms and squatting low whenever Paul fired off his power shots. Gib’s inability to steady himself at any point in the fight left him prey to a right hand for the bout’s first knockdown.
To his credit, Gib (0-1) kept getting every time he was put down. A second knockdown already had the referee thinking about stopping the fight, with that decision made easier following the third knockdown.
The win comes weeks after Logan Paul suffered a six-round split decision to KSI last November in Los Angeles, with a two-point deduction for a foul proving the difference on the scorecards. Eager to play the part of brother’s keeper, this evening’s winner has a firm grasp on what he wants for his second pro fight.
“I want KSI,” Jake Paul (1-0, 1KO told DAZN’s ‘Radio’ Rahim Davies.
The bout appeared in supporting capacity of a DAZN show topped by Demetrius Andrade (50 – 0, 12 KOs) in a middleweight title defense versus Ireland’s Luke Keeler (18 – 2-1, 5KOs).
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
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