Jake Paul appears to have dismissed rumours that his fight with Anthony Joshua has been cancelled after ‘The Problem Child’ shared his prediction for the December 19 bout.
On Wednesday afternoon, it was suggested that the heavyweight contest between Paul and Joshua had been “cancelled” after the YouTuber-turned-boxer suffered an injury in sparring.
The story was relayed by former WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne, who opened up on what he’d “heard” amid rumours of a potential postponement.
“I’ve just heard somewhere that he was injured, that it’s not happening,” Stiverne told Gambleonline.ca.
READ: Jake Paul’s big announcement explained and how it affects Anthony Joshua fight
“I don’t know. I just heard not long ago it was cancelled. I don’t know what’s going on. Lawrence Okolie gave him a black eye or something and from what I heard the fight is not happening after sparring sessions [with world ranked fighters].”
Stiverne, who holds a record of 25-6-1 and was the first fighter to go the distance with Deontay Wilder, added: “It might be a lie, or it might be true, but I don’t know. That’s what I was hearing and it wouldn’t surprise me.”
Jake Paul gives his prediction for Anthony Joshua fight
Shortly after Stiverne made the claim, a beaten-up Paul appeared to confirm that his bout against Joshua is still happening.
Speaking on Wednesday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show, the 28-year-old gave his prediction for the fight on December 19.
“I don’t think he can knock me out because he’s not going to be able to line up his shots properly to land the hard punch,” began Paul.
“I think it’s going to be a very tough fight for multiple rounds, but then, when I figure out his pacing, his style, his speed, his footwork, he’s going to get a little bit tired trying to chase me around, and then I’m going to set up the shot.
“I’m not going to say exactly what, but I see what it is, and I think it’ll end in the fifth or sixth round.”
Paul was pictured with a black eye this week after sparring British heavyweight contender and former cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie.
The YouTube personality, who has also welcomed heavyweights Jared Anderson and Frank Sanchez into his camp ahead of fight night, spoke about some of his sparring partners on Wednesday’s podcast.
“We definitely focused a lot more on the strength workouts and lifting heavier weights,” said Paul.
“I started to eat a bit more, but I didn’t want to bulk up too much. The speed is going to be the key here, but we brought in world champion heavyweight sparring partners, guys who are 270 pounds, 250 pounds.
“Sparring them has been insane,” he said. “I still got the remnants of taking a shot.”
