Black eye Jake Paul has been sporting proves he’s learning pugilism the hard way

Black eye Jake Paul has been sporting proves he’s learning pugilism the hard way

Next week’s bout against Anthony Joshua could likely serve as a reality check for YouTube sensation

First, let’s credit Jake Paul for what he has already achieved. If transforming yourself from a YouTuber who dabbles in sports to a serviceable pro athlete were easy, more people would do it. 

He may never win a major world title, or defeat a top-flight boxer within hollering distance of his prime, but he has cracked the top 100 in Boxrec’s cruiserweight rankings. It’s not everything, but it’s something.

And, as any sports fan with an internet connection knows, Paul is signed to face former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua next Friday in Miami, in the main event of a fight card that will stream on Netflix. So credit Paul again for accepting a risk instead of placing himself once more on the A-side of a mismatch dressed up as a credible boxing contest.

To prepare for the toughest bout of his career, Paul flew an impressive list of heavyweight contenders to his training compound in Puerto Rico to serve as sparring partners. 

Frank Sanchez, aka The Cuban Flash.

Jarrett Anderson, once touted as America’s next great heavyweight.

Martin Bakole, a 280-pound battering ram of a man who pounded the fight out of Anderson when they met 2024. Props to Paul once more, for opting to learn first-hand how it feels to share the ring with a heavyweight who has the advantage in every measurable, including experience.

Granted, Joshua peaked in the late 2010s, and was knocked out by Daniel Dubois in his most recent bout, 15 months ago. But he’s not as washed as the typical Paul opponent – Ronald Reagan was president when Mike Tyson reached his prime – and he’s