On April 17th, 2021, famous American YouTuber, internet personality, actor, rapper and professional boxer, Jake Paul defeated Ben Askren via TKO in just under 2 minutes in the first round of a boxing match that generated 1.5 million in buys on the Triller platform. The internet buzzed at this occasion but the real action may have been a sale of virtual NFT art being sold by Jake.
Immediately after the victory, Jake’s virtual art pieces were being sold for thousands of dollars on the Origin platform, a blockchain platform backed by top venture capital firms, and major investors in Silicon Valley.
An anonymous user known as “Digitalnomads” has listed a limited edition piece on popular NFT platform OpenSea at 35.5 ETH (approximately 100,000 USD) because he says he believes it’s worth the asking price stating “Jake Paul is a global superstar and has proven time and time again that his brand equity will continue to grow. His brother Logan Paul equally as famous, is in talks to fight Floyd Mayweather soon which further legitimizes the cultural impact and influence of the Paul name.”
Digitalnomads says he’s already gotten a few offers in the first few days. “I’ve already had a few interested people send me a private message. I’m confident someone smart will pick up this NFT quickly, and this will drive the price of the other 68 pieces minted on the night of the fight and scattered around the world to people just me”
The NFT was created in collaboration with the talented artist Carlos Luna James. It depicts a magical world filled with flowers and purple sky and a lion with a crown floating above it’s head with boxing gloves beneath. The artist describes the piece as “A peaceful-zen conscious with the ability to remain calm in the heat of battle. This is what it takes to have the heart of a lion and what it means to fight for something. Only those who have stepped into the ring or even a sparring session can comprehend the feeling. However, each and every day this fighter’s spirit can be found in all of us. We fight for what we believe in, for our families, and for ourselves. Nothing worth having comes easy, which means you must fight for it.”
When asked how much it could be worth in the future, he pauses and says “I think this piece could be worth millions of dollars, easy.” His bold predictions are not outlandish as another NFT created by Triller was listed for 10 million dollars for Jake Paul’s earlier fight, a first round knockout of former NBA star Nate Robinson.
