YOUTUBE boxer Jake Paul has been left sporting a black eye after sparring with British heavyweight Lawrence Okolie.
The 28-year-old is clearly stepping up his preparations for when he will face former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, 36, in just over two weeks.
Paul appeared on camera speaking to live streamer Adin Ross on Saturday when he was asked about the conspicuous bruise around his right eye.
He said: “I’m sparring a bunch of world champion heavyweights, I think Lawrence Okolie did that to me, he’s like 6ft 6in, 270lbs.
Okolie, 32, is a London-born heavyweight who has held world championships in two weight classes.
He has fought at cruiserweight, bridgerweight and now competes at heavyweight, where he has been ordered to fight British up-and-comer Moses Itauma in a final title eliminator next year.
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Ross then questioned Paul on how his preparations are going, asking: “What do you weigh right now?”
Paul revealed he was still not where he wanted to be, answering: “I’m like 215lbs. [I have to get to] 218, 220lbs.”
He then shocked his guests when he revealed that his opponent Joshua is expected to weigh around 250lbs by the time he gets in the ring.
The bout was confirmed just last month after Paul’s scheduled fight with American lightweight Gervonta Davis fell through.
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Paul has previously fought the likes of Mike Tyson and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, but this will certainly be his biggest test yet.
Joshua was one of the most dominant names in heavyweight boxing until a shock loss to Andy Ruiz Jr and back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk left him without a title.
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He was most recently stopped by Daniel Dubois in September 2024, making his fight with Paul his most recent bout since challenging for a world championship title.
And there seem to be no training wheels on for Paul, with Joshua sure to enter the fight with a weight advantage at a limit of 245lbs, while fighting in the standard 10oz gloves.
It is safe to say that fans are not confident of the American’s chances against his bigger and more experienced opponent.
One fan commented on the black eye: “If that happened in 18oz gloves imagine what AJ is gonna do to him.”
While another fan added: “I pray to god Jake knows something we don’t. Like AJ forgot how to punch or something.”