Jake Paul has put to bed any drug controversy after revealing he has been tested more times than both Anthony Joshua and Gervonta Davis.
The ‘Problem Child’ was set to return to the ring in November – following his win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in June – against Davis. However, the exhibition showdown was scrapped after ‘Tank’ was accused of battery, false imprisonment and kidnapping by an ex-girlfriend.
Paul reserved a December date in Miami in case his dust-up with Davis failed to materialise. After issuing several call-outs, it was Joshua who obliged. Their heavyweight clash was a professionally sanctioned bout, but despite the noise surrounding the event, the showdown failed to live up to expectations.
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In a rather dull and uninspiring bout, Joshua eventually knocked the YouTuber-turned-boxer out in the sixth round, having dropped his foe twice in the previous round. Since making his professional debut back in 2020, the American fighter has been accused of cutting corners for his fights. Many have slammed his bouts as ‘fixed’ or that there was insufficient drug testing involved.
Paul has also been accused of taking performance enhancing drugs, but has played down those rumours on several occasions. Ahead of last month’s heavyweight clash between Joshua and Paul, it was confirmed that the bout would be overseen by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). The American also signed up for the aforementioned anti-doping body ahead of his proposed clash with ‘Tank.’
In a recent post uploaded to X – formerly known as Twitter – Paul posted a screenshot of his sample count, alongside both Joshua and Davis via the official USADA website. In total, it was revealed that there was a total sample count of 24 from the three fighters, with Paul submitting 10, Joshua handing in six, and Davis submitting 8. The social media sensation was eager to take a swipe at his critics, revealing he had been tested more times than his two rivals. “USADA, VADA, PRADA, NADA,” he captioned the post.
Addressing his critics ahead of his proposed clash with Davis, Paul said in a video uploaded to YouTube. “Don’t worry, for all of you Karens who accuse me of being on steroids as the reason for winning all of my fights, we have the strictest drug testing possible for this match. US Anti-Doping Agency. Random drug tests at any moment.”
USADA were the official anti-doping body for MMA promotion UFC between 2015 and 2024. Prior to the body’s involvement, the use of PEDs was a cause for concern in the sport. However, USADA’s strict punishments and random testing protocol ultimately paid dividends for Dana White’s organisation.
Paul’s business partner Nakisa Bidarian was adamant that – ahead of the American boxer’s fight with Joshua – both men would be heavily monitored, revealing to the Daily Mail: “We are enrolled in the highest level of USADA for this fight, just like Jake was with Tank. So Jake just continues in that programme, and Joshua enters that programme immediately.
“Jake was tested eight times by USADA during the past – whatever it was – seven weeks since we started the programme with USADA for Jake versus Tank. That’s just going to continue. Randomised testing, frequent testing. And, you know, we’re four weeks out, so it’s going to be pretty comprehensive.”
