Lawrence Okolie has lifted the lid on his sparring with Jake Paul, having shared multiple rounds with the YouTuber-turned-boxer ahead of his heavyweight clash against Anthony Joshua.
Paul will lock horns with ‘AJ’ in an eight-round professional contest this Friday, with many anticipating the American’s downfall at the Kaseya Center, Miami.
But while former cruiserweight and bridgerweight world champion Okolie was initially sceptical about the competitiveness of their bout too, he now gives the 28-year-old novice a far greater chance against two-time world champion Joshua.
This is because, after between nine and ten spars of considerable intensity in Puerto Rico, the heavyweight contender has suddenly developed a new-found feeling of respect for Paul.
Speaking with Boxing News, Okolie recalled his experience in camp with ‘The Problem Child’.
“The first day, I remember pulling [Paul’s] coach to the side and saying, ‘Hey, come on, how do you want me to do this? I was expecting to hear, ‘Go 50 or 20%’, but he said, ‘Do what you do.’
“So I did what I do – I was really going for it – and I was surprised by how well he was doing with the likes of myself.
“Before [sparring him], I thought there was no chance that he gets out of round one [against Joshua], but now I’m almost certain that it’s going to be a more interesting fight than a lot of people think.”
Okolie treated their spars so seriously, in fact, that he even gave Paul a black eye, which the internet star later revealed on his social media channels.
“I remember the day, because it was a day where I was going extra, extra, extra hard. I was trying my best, I’m not going to lie to you, but I don’t remember the exact punch [that landed].
“It would have probably been a jab, or something like that, just letting my hands go. It’s not like I picked the most clever [shot].”
In terms of his power, Okolie believes that Paul, while not being quite as potent as a typical heavyweight, certainly carries enough pop in his punches to gain a bigger man’s respect.
“He’s not a heavyweight, so there’s only so much force he can [generate], but he’s a very fast puncher. He punches with a lot of speed and a lot of tenacity, like a good cruiserweight puncher.
“When you’re a cruiserweight, you can knock out a heavyweight if you land right, so I had to respect what he was doing [in sparring].”
As crazy as it may sound, Okolie was so impressed with Paul in the gym that, while not offering a clear prediction, he nonetheless admits that a knockout defeat for Joshua is not beyond the realms of possibility.
“Is it the most likely outcome of the fight? No. But is it a possible outcome? Yes.”
