Jake Paul has been putting in the hard yards in preparation for his upcoming clash with Anthony Joshua.
‘The Problem Child’ is set to square off against AJ on December 19 at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
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Paul has been sparring with several top heavyweights, including Anderson, Sanchez and Okolie (left to right)Credit: Instagram – Jake Paul
It marks Paul’s second splash at heavyweight after plying his trade at cruiserweight for the majority of his 12-1 career.
To help acclimatise his body to his new weight class, Paul has drafted in some massive sparring partners.
Among them is former world cruiserweight and bridgerweight champion Lawrence Okolie (22-1), Cuban technician Frank Sanchez (25-1), American prospect Jared Anderson (18-1) and Cassius Chaney (24-3), who was due to fight Joshua before Paul swooped in.
Paul gave a glimpse into his sparring with the quartet during his most recent YouTube video, which includes clips of him exchanging leather with the big men.
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“We have a couple of amazing heavyweights,” said Paul.
“World champion Lawrence Okolie. Six foot six, 260lbs. He is an absolute monster.
“We have got Frank Sanchez, ‘ The Cuban Flash’, from Canelo’s camp.
“One of the best guys I have sparred. Speed, power, and head movement.
“And then we have Jared Anderson, another amazing heavyweight.
“It’s been tough; it has been a lot of learning. I am sore everywhere.
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Paul has shared some footage of his sparring on YouTubeCredit: YouTube – Jake Paul
“I’m getting used to taking the big punches to the arms, to the face, to the body.
“I’m having to fight in a different way than I’ve had to fight before.”
Given the difference in calibre between Paul and his sparring partners, the expectation is that they would ease off on the YouTuber-turned boxer.
However, Paul’s strength and conditioning coach, Larry Wade, insists this hasn’t been the case.
“These guys have been fighting all their lives,” he said.
“They live in the gym, they are born in the gym, they are raised in the gym. None of them took it easy on Jake.
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Chaney, who was supposed to fight Joshua before Paul, has also been drafted into campCredit: Getty
“These guys aren’t playing. And Jake had better understand that now because Anthony Joshua is not going to play with him, and he’s going to bring that real power.”
While it’s hard to gauge how much success Paul had in sparring from the limited footage posted to his channel, Okolie provided a ‘glowing’ review to his coach, Joe Gallagher.
“I messaged Lawrence, and he was quite glowing about Jake Paul, to be honest, on how well he was doing with Frank Sanchez and Jared Anderson,” Gallagher told BoxingScene.
Regardless of how well Okolie perceived Paul to have done against Sanchez, ‘El Gallo’ still came out of the session with a busted nose.
Jake Paul leaves fans hugely impressed in training footage before Anthony Joshua fight
“It is getting more crooked, not going to lie,” Paul told the Pat McAfee Show.
“This morning, the heavyweights, my nose has moved a couple of millimeters this camp.
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“A guy called Frank Sanchez cracked it a little bit, so it definitely had a slight little something in there.
“But yeah, it’s bad, I look like Squidward, it has been very tough. He is a big guy.”
Anthony Joshua v Jake Paul: Betting Odds
Odds courtesy of talkSPORT BET
Anthony Joshua – 1/11
Draw – 20/1
Jake Paul – 7/1
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