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YouTube star-turned-boxer Jake Paul has retracted comments he made Thursday that his brain is showing “early signs of CTE.”
CTE — chronic traumatic encephalopathy — is a progressive, degenerative brain disease that often results from repeated blunt force trauma and blows to the head. It can only be diagnosed after the person has died.
I wanna retract my comments made about CTE as it relates to me and my medical history.
It’s a very serious condition that I should not have misspoken about.
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) April 16, 2021
MORE: Why are Jake Paul and Ben Askren fighting? A callout lured ex-MMA champion out of retirement
Paul revealed in a Thursday news conference that he had undergone a brain scan which showed his brain exhibiting signs of trauma. The information came just days before he is set to take on former Bellator and ONE welterweight world champion Ben Askren. It will be Paul’s third professional bout and first against a professional. Paul said he will fight against Askren, showing no indication he would stop his boxing career afterward.
“It’s a dangerous sport,” Paul said. “That’s why, when people question my dedication to it, it’s like, I’m showing up every single day. I’m putting my mental health on the line. My brain is on the line. Like you said, I’ve gone and gotten brain scans and have early signs of CTE.
“I love this sport and wouldn’t trade it for anything else. And 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,” Paul said.
Below is Paul discussing his brain trauma and future career in boxing:
Paul, 24, is not the only person in his family to have suffered trauma. Older brother Logan Paul, 26, also underwent brain scans in 2019 which showed trauma as a result of boxing.
Jake Paul will take on Askren at roughly 9 p.m. ET Saturday via Triller.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated from a previous version.
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