Jake Paul facing night of ‘torture’ despite secret weapons to beat Anthony Joshua

Part of that is putting a fighter under the sort of pressure they can expect from their opponent. Two weeks ago, Paul was spotted sporting a black eye, later revealing it was Okolie’s handywork. He was also ‘cracked’ by Sanchez, leaving him with a crooked nose as he sat down for one interview.

Some sparring sessions can be truly vicious affairs with former cruiserweight champion Johnny Nelson involved in his fair share over the years. But he is not convinced for one second any of those men called in to work with Paul got their hands dirty.

‘I don’t think he has got any proper work in with these lads,’ Nelson told Metro. ‘They are similar in size so there will be a benefit in that respect, there will have been light touch sparring with him. There is no way it was more than that.

‘They are there to simulate the fight, the movement, the size, the reach, the pace. I think that is what Jake Paul has done here. But that is as far as it is going. There is no way in a million years it is more. Some sparring partners are brought in to put you under the kind of pressure you would be under during the fight.

‘If they do that to Paul and put a similar pressure on him, Jake would have a lot more than a twisted nose. What happened with Okolie and Sanchez, it was probably an accident. “Oops, sorry” and they’ve backed off.

‘I have been in training camps where sparring partners have almost been knocked out and vice versa. He is not getting that. They have been going through the motions which I totally understand. But if anyone thinks because Jake Paul got these massive guys in so he must be able to take it, they are dreaming.’

There has also been the rumoured addition of one of the men who helped mastermind Joshua’s last defeat in Don Charles.

Charles is the long-time trainer of Derek Chisora and in 2023, he began working with Daniel Dubois. While he twice fell short against Oleksandr Usyk during their time together, Dubois produced the biggest victories of his career under Charles’ guidance – including the devastating knockout win over Joshua in September 2024.

While Paul has shown he has power, he can perhaps only dream of applying it in a way Dubois did that night. But the camp will have taken any marginal gains they could get.

‘He is going to hire the best he can,’ Nelson continued. ‘That is what he has done. He wants to benefit in any way he can, anyone who might have some insight on AJ or in terms of sparring partners, someone who is similar in atyle or size. They will do that.

‘Everyone on the team has gone out there, is about getting paid. And handsomely by this young man who is foolish enough to think he is going in there to upset the world.’

For five years, Paul has been a thorn in the in the side of the boxing purist. But whether it’s down to his own ravenous drive to succeed in the sport or a sign of boxing’s ever muddying morals, the end result is him getting his wish – sharing the ring with a modern great, still operating at, or at the very least near, the peak of his powers.

But be careful what you wish for – Paul has got what he wanted but in getting it, it could drive him out of the sport for good.

While there are plenty baying for blood and a swift knockout, Nelson suggests a long, torturous procedure will act as a greater deterrent.

‘I would advise Joshua to torture him,’ Nelson said. ‘Don’t knock him out in one round, if you do that, that’s the quick fix and Jake Paul doesn’t learn his lesson. H’s bitten off more than he can chew and there is nothing to stop him trying to do this again unless he is in there with someone who can make it clear there are levels In this sport. Someone who will make him question everything.

‘I don’t think the answer is the knockout. Anthony Joshua must take the chance to absolutely torture him in there as long as you can. Back off, then torture him again like a cat with a mouse, mentally, physically and emotionally. It might be the lesson Jake needs to learn.

‘Making him quit would be more damaging. If you’re a fighter and you have to live with quitting, it is not an easy thing to do. Joshua needs to show he is just far too dangerous for him. Who knows, maybe it will keep Jake in his lane going forward.’

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