England-based boxer, Lawrence Okolie is in the news once again, as he has reportedly given a ‘black eye’ to social media influencer, Jake Paul, who is preparing to face former world heavyweight champion, Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua on December 19th.
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Sports247 gathered that Okolie, who is also preparing for a fight in Nigeria later this month, has been sparring with Paul ahead of his controversial bout with Joshua in Miami, USA.
Paul admitted he was bruised in the course of a recent training session with Okolie, and the former YouTube star posted a photograph of a dark patch he got from sparring with the Nigerian-born British heavyweight ahead of his clash with Joshua.
The London 2012 Olympic Games gold medalist will fight Paul next week Friday at Miami’s Kaseya Center in a professional contest that will be recorded in their fight logs and a knockout is possible.
The fight has been criticized by many boxing buffs as a mismatch, considering that ‘AJ’ is a 36-year-old former two-time world heavyweight champ, while Paul is 28 but is known better on YouTube and the Disney Channel before turning to boxing.
Amazingly, though, now rated with a log of 12-1 (seven KO wins), Paul has beaten former middleweight boxing world champion, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr as well as former UFC champions, Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva.
Paul also famously beat former heavyweight boxing emperor, Mike Tyson, who was 58 at the time they fought, but he might have met his match against Okolie, who is also a former WBC and WBO cruiserweight champion.
The American content provider might have also, inevitably, found out what he will get from Joshua in the bruise given him by 32-year-old Hackney-born Okolie, who is on a three-fight win streak and last beat Kevin Lerena.
However, Paul tried to play down the effect, as he said on Adin Ross’ Kick stream: “I’m sparring a bunch of world champion heavyweights. I think Lawrence Okolie did that to me. He’s like six foot six, 270lbs.”
