15-Round Sparring Sessions In An Oven With World Champions

Uhh, did anyone else happen to notice Jake Paul looking absolutely shredded at yesterday’s weigh-in event? Even a few hours later at the ceremonial weigh-ins, Paul had the indented cheeks and haunted eyes of a man who’s gone to hell and back in the gym.

There’s a few possible explanations. Perhaps Paul is feeling the pressure after his first professional defeat to Tommy Fury, a loss that shocked the YouTuber and his team. It derailed his plans to an extent, and another defeat could spell the end of his endeavor into professional boxing.

There’s also the reputation of Nate Diaz to consider. Diaz is famously tough and hard-to-finish with a proven reputation as a trap fight (ask Conor McGregor). He’s known for coming on strong late in fights, and potentially serious issue for Paul, who has slowed down in previous showings versus Fury and Tyron Woodley. Worse yet, Diaz has 10 full rounds to make a comeback happen.

Jake Paul’s coaches Rydell Booker is confident, however. Below, he details the intense training and sparring regiment Paul endured while in Puerto Rico, which helps explain his incredible fitness level.

“We have got Jake training like a throwback Kronk fighter,” Booker began (quotes via Neue Online Casinos). “The team created the Kronk environment out in Puerto Rico, so he was training in the same conditions as Tommy Hearns, Wladimir Klitschko and Lennox Lewis, walking the same path. There ain’t no technical sparring. There ain’t no off day from sparring, you’re sparring everyday. The days he doesn’t want to go ten rounds, he goes 15 rounds. It’s blood sweat and tears.

“If anyone knows about that Kronk gym, there were wars in that Detroit basement and it’s been the same in this camp. Jake’s had his own wars, just like the Kronk days. And I’ll tell you, there’s no quit in him. We have brought in lots of fighters so that gym has that full atmosphere and he fell in love with it. And to replicate the old Kronk aesthetic we turn up the heat, so it’s hot as hell in the gym, just like Manny Steward used to. We’ve got Jake training in an oven like conditions. “

It’s not just a lot of sparring in hot conditions either. Paul is facing off with boxing champions and MMA fighters, getting prepared for whatever Diaz brings to battle.

“He’s been sparring me, former three time world champion Chad Dawson, IBF’s number one ranked light heavyweight Vladimir Shishkin, and a couple MMA fighters for the same look as Nate Diaz. Jake exceeded expectations sparring Chad. We’d do two or three rounds and a fresh man gets in. Or the head coach might bring me in when Jake gets tired. I’m 250 pounds and my job would be to pressure him when he’s tired and make him work and he’s not folding. I’m 250 pounds right now and I get in there and try to push him around after he’s already done ten rounds, and he never quits and he’s still strong.”

As for how all this hard training and sparring pays off in the ring, Booker has a prediction. He expects a stoppage early, or worst-case, he expects Diaz to call it off himself after feeling Paul’s punishing power.

“His punches feel like getting hit with a dead weight and it’s not just the right hand. He hit me with a left hook and I had to take a deep breath, put it that way. When he lands that power on Nate the knockout will come inside six rounds. Or I think he makes Nate Diaz so frustrated that he gets out the ring and quits, just like in the media interview.”

We’ll find out in a few short hours.

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