'Eye off the ball' – Fans fear for Jake Paul after posting bizarre training video ahead of Mike Tyson fight

09/24/2024 07:18 AM

Jake Paul has left fans scratching their heads after posting a bizarre training video ahead of his fight with Mike Tyson.

‘The Problem Child’ is set to square off against Tyson on November 15 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas live on Netflix.

Ahead of fight night, Paul – who is competing in the heavyweight division for the first time this autumn – donned a fat suit and uploaded a video of him bench-pressing, what he claimed to be 500lbs (227kg).

As he prepared for the lift, Paul shouted: “New PR, 500lbs. I’m the strongest heavyweight in existence, no spot.”

Paul then completed the bench press while his buddies cheered him on.

However, his followers were quick to point out that he was using ‘fake weights’.

Among the slew of comments joking that Paul ‘looked pregnant,’ there were several fans, who expressed concerns that the YouTube star wasn’t taking his fight with Tyson seriously enough.

One supporter wrote: “He’s taken his eye off the ball.”

Another added: “I've never been more confident in Mike Tyson than after watching this video that Jake Paul just put out on Instagram.”

A third posted: “What does faking a bench press of 405 do for your career? Smh I don’t get it.”

Meanwhile, somebody else remarked: “Needs to take Tyson seriously, otherwise he is in for a shock.”

While Paul’s fans express concerns for him, several members of the boxing fraternity are more fearful of the potential health implications Tyson faces in boxing a man 31 years his junior.

‘Iron Mike’ is 58 years old and hasn’t competed in the paid ranks since 2005, while Paul is in his athletic prime at 27 and has fought 11 times (10-1) as a professional in the last four years.

They were initially set to duke it out on July 20 but the fight was postponed after Tyson suffered an ulcer flare-up, which left him medically unfit to compete this summer.

Senior Lecturer in Medicine at Anglia Ruskin University, Stephen Hughes, claims that as Tyson is an older man and a recovering alcoholic, he is at an increased risk of suffering a subdural haematoma (brain bleed), which can be fatal.

"In older people, the brain tends to lose volume," Hughes explained. “This lengthens the bridging veins and makes them more vulnerable to rupture.

"Bleeding from these torn veins causes a collection of blood that presses on the brain. This causes confusion, loss of consciousness, neurological disability and, in some cases, death.

"Alcoholism is known to accelerate brain shrinkage, and it appears that Tyson has this as a past risk factor.”

Meanwhile, veteran cut woman Sammy Morris insists Tyson should also be concerned about the possibility of a gash opening up during his upcoming fight.

“As we age the epidermis thins, also the production of elastin and collagen is dramatically reduced meaning the facial bones have less protection around them and are more protruding so they are easier to open up from a punch,” Morris told talkSPORT.com

“The healing process will also be substantially longer too… At 58, Tyson is at a high risk of getting cut.”