JAKE PAUL’S ex-sparring partner said boxing promoters will ‘clown the f***’ out of Tyron Woodley and allow a ‘sad’ win for the YouTuber.
Paul faces the ex-UFC champion on August 28 in his fourth and toughest professional fight.
Woodley, 39, comes into his boxing debut as one of the best welterweights in UFC history, reigning the division from 2016-2018 with four defences.
But more recently, the American has lost his last four fights, without a win in three years.
Light-heavyweight boxer Ahmed Elbiali, who once sparred Paul, has accused promoters of perfectly picking the right matchup.
And he fears it will leave Woodley – an MMA legend – facing an embarrassing defeat against a self-proclaimed ‘Disney kid’.
Elbiali, 30, told SunSport: “I saw some videos of Woodley and I was like, ‘This is so sad’. They’re really going to clown this former MMA world champion.
“They’re going to clown the f*** out of him as boxing matchmaking is special, and it takes a while to learn how to hit hard in boxing gloves.
“Jake is the bigger guy too and weight classes matter in boxing. You hit any man in 10-ounce gloves they’re going to feel it.
“I’m sure Tyron hits hard but whoever’s matchmaking Jake’s career is not going to let that happen.”
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Elbiali sparred Paul last year, before the social media star’s second fight, against ex-NBA player Nate Robinson.
At the time, he was 1-0 as a pro having stopped online rival ‘AnEsonGib’ in one round.
Paul, 24, then went on to brutally knock out Robinson, 37, in two rounds before stopping retired UFC welterweight Ben Askren, 36, in the first round in April.
Not only has the former Disney Channel actor improved to 3-0 all by KO, he has become one of the most polarising figures in the fight game.
Elbiali, who is 20-1, admits to pulling his punches against Paul when they sparred in Las Vegas.
But in hindsight he regrets the approach and offered a brutal assessment of Paul and Woodley, who are set to headline on Showtime pay-per-view Stateside.
Elbiali said: “Jake’s about to fight Tyron Woodley but I see that as garbage versus trash and I got trash winning by knockout.
“That’s exactly how I see it. Tyron is a really good MMA world champion but he’s garbage at boxing and Jake is just pure trash.
“He’s not a boxer, I wish I would’ve done things differently when I sparred Jake, I wish I had a plan, like p*** in a water gun and throw it at him or some s***.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk