Shakur Stevenson admits sparring Jake Paul was eye-opening: He's 'better than people would even understand'

Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua are just three days away from their Netflix heavyweight boxing match — and still nobody can quite believe it’s going to happen. Paul, who has just 14 fights in total, amateur and pro — all far below the world level — is being given little to no chance of upsetting the odds against the former heavyweight world champion this Friday, Dec. 19, by many in boxing’s fraternity.

WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson had the opportunity to judge Paul’s boxing ability firsthand, as prior to facing Joshua, Paul was set to face Gervonta “Tank” Davis and therefore sparred with Stevenson to experience what it would be like being across the ring from a world-class lightweight.

Stevenson, Uncrowned’s No. 8 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, shared his opinion of Paul’s boxing ability and the Joshua matchup this week on “The Ariel Helwani Show.”

“My guy J’Leon Love [a member of Paul’s training team] hit me up, and they set it up,” Stevenson revealed to Uncrowned. “I came down there and we did six, seven rounds. We got in the ring and we sparred.

“It’s crazy because I think Jake is better than people would even understand. A lot of people don’t think he’s as good because he started so late, so you don’t know how good he really could’ve been if he started earlier. But you could tell he’s taking the craft seriously. He’s locking in and doing training camps and got the right team around him, got the coaches around him. He’s better than what you’d think.”

“I was impressed, for sure,” Stevenson continued. … “I was surprised because when you think [of] a guy coming from YouTube, you’re like, ‘This guy don’t know nothing.’ But you could tell he has a good coach in his corner who’s telling him the right things. He’s listening to the right things. He’s not bad — like, he’s just not a bad fighter. His instincts are to not get beat up or not get hit, and I was surprised by it, for sure.”

Paul began training in boxing in 2018 at the age of 21 for a fight with a fellow YouTuber, Deji. Despite his late start, the American has benefited from the privileges of top coaches and training facilities, and has managed to close the gap on some in the sport who have more experience. In the years since, Paul has feasted on a diet of ex-UFC fighters and faded boxers to build up a résumé of recognizable names.

Despite Paul’s undeniable improvements and commitment to boxing, the gap between him and Joshua — not only in skill, but also in size — remains difficult to see past for Stevenson. After all, it’s been less than three years since Paul’s lone career defeat, which was an eight-round decision loss at the hands of Tommy Fury.

“AJ is a boxer — there’s no way AJ should let Jake win that fight,” Stevenson said. “Like, I don’t see how he’d let Jake win. … I don’t know how it’s going to happen, but if you’ve got all of that weight on you, he should go out there and beat Jake. But I don’t think it’d be a knock on Jake’s game [to lose]. As long as he doesn’t get knocked out, as long as he stays on his Ps and Qs in there, I think he should be OK.”

“I can’t tell you if [Paul] survives [eight rounds], but I know he survives the first round,” Stevenson added.

“I mean, yeah [he’s biting off more than he can chew]. I think he’s just jumping out there fighting Joshua, but I think it’s a dangerous move to make. At the end of the day, scared money don’t make no money. When you’re a guy in his situation, people should only respect him for what he’s doing. You’ve got to respect the aspect of — this guy started boxing late, and now he’s where he’s at. He’s really taking a challenge right now. He’s challenging himself, so I respect it.”

As for Stevenson himself, the lightweight great looks to become a four-division world champion when he clashes with WBO super lightweight champ Teofimo Lopez on Jan. 31 at Madison Square Garden.

Lopez is an unpredictable personality who’s frequently embroiled in controversy, which has made him an antagonist among boxing fans. Most recently, Lopez was investigated by the WBO for racist comments and actions this past May after a series of incidents and was formally admonished for his behavior.

“I’m going to make him pay for a lot of them things that he said about Black people,” Stevenson said of Lopez. “But at the end of the day, I know he’s not racist. I know him deep down inside. He truly is a cool person. He wants to be great, and this is the type of fight that I really enjoy.”

“I think something is mentally wrong with him,” Stevenson added of Lopez. “I don’t think he’s like all the way there mentally. I think he’s crazy. … I think he’s legit crazy. I think something is really wrong with him, but that’s what makes him dangerous. I think [they’re] the guys [who are] the most dangerous people — delusional, crazy people who want to be the best and want their spot at greatness. So I’ve got to respect it, but I think something’s definitely off with him.”

Stevenson said he’d be willing to jump up yet another division after his Jan. 31 fight with Lopez to take on British star Conor Benn, with whom he clashed in an entertaining back-and-forth on “The Ariel Helwani Show” earlier in the year. Stevenson does, however, have one condition for a Benn fight.

“I think it can happen,” Stevenson said of the potential of facing Benn at welterweight. “I think that should be maybe next after Teo — God willing I go do what I’ve got to do.

“I want a rehydration clause though [like Benn had for Chris Eubank Jr.].”

Benn and Eubank had a 10-pound rehydration clause in their contract for both of their 2025 bouts. The clause, which dictated what the pair could weigh the morning of their fight, was subject to much scrutiny, with Stevenson even declaring that it was the biggest factor in their rematch, rather than Benn’s vastly improved performance.

Shakur Stevenson admits sparring Jake Paul was eye-opening: He’s ‘better than people would even understand’

Tags: