Justin Bieber, Snoop Dogg Headline Musical Lineup for Jake Paul-Ben Askren Fight
Justin Bieber and Snoop Dogg will headline a star-studded group of musical performers who will take the stage ahead of the April 17 boxing match between YouTube star Jake Paul and former UFC fighter Ben Askren.
TMZ Sports reported Wednesday the lineup also includes Saweetie, The Black Keys, Doja Cat, Diplo and the debut of Snoop's Mt. Westmore, a supergroup with Ice Cube, E-40 and Too $hort.
Triller Network co-controlling shareholder Ryan Kavanaugh told Tatiana Cirisano of Billboard the goal was creating an event that "mixes pop culture phenoms, legends and rising stars; we are giving the world something that has never been seen or done before."
"This event is more like making a tentpole movie than a boxing match," Kavanaugh said.
Paul reacted to the news with a Twitter post predicting a record-breaking event:
Triller has found success with a combination of boxing and music. It held a similar showcase in November with numerous musical performances before former boxing champions Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. faced each other in an exhibition.
Josh Peter of USA Today reported the Tyson-Jones event generated over 1.6 million pay-per-view buys and $80 million in revenue.
Between Paul's following on YouTube, Askren's background in combat sports and the marquee names from the music world, next month's event could surpass those figures.
It will also put more pressure on the traditional boxing industry to create more wide-ranging events to attract additional mainstream interest for the top-tier title fights.
