Boxer Jake Paul touts former opponent Ben Askren's perseverance during ex-UFC star's bout with serious illness

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Ben Askren continues to battle pneumonia. On Wednesday, the former Olympic wrestler and MMA star revealed he had undergone a double lung transplant.

His wife, Amy, said in a series of social media posts Askren was placed on a ventilator in June and placed on a donor list for a lung transplant June 24.

YouTube star-turned pro boxer Jake Paul took a moment to direct some praise toward his former opponent. Paul described Askren as "one of the toughest fighters" during his battle with a serious infection.

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Jake Paul stands in the corner during his cruiserweight bout against Anderson Silva at Desert Diamond Arena Oct. 29, 2022, in Glendale, Ariz. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

"Shout out to Ben Askren. Just proved that he’s one of the toughest fighters of all time," Paul wrote on X Wednesday.

Paul's comments surfaced shortly after Askren said he "only died four times" before a lung transplant.

FORMER UFC FIGHTER BEN ASKREN RECEIVES DOUBLE LUNG TRANSPLANT DUE TO PNEUMONIA BATTLE, WIFE SAYS

"No recollection. Zero idea. No idea what happened," Askren said in a video posted to his social media account about what he recalled most from the past six weeks. "I just read through my wife’s journal. It’s like a movie. It’s ridiculous. I only died four times, where the ticker stopped for about 20 seconds."

Ben Askren stands in his corner before his welterweight bout against Demian Maia of Brazil during the UFC Fight Night event at Singapore Indoor Stadium on October 26, 2019, in Singapore. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Askren also said he lost roughly 50 pounds during the 45-day