JAKE PAUL hit his sparring partner Kalvin Henderson so hard he immediately ruled out any allegations of fight fixing.
The YouTuber-turned boxer has been forced to deny baseless accusations that his wins over Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva were rigged.
But Henderson – who has been in camp with Paul for his upcoming fight with Tommy Fury – is able to put those theories to bed.
He told SunSport: “He hit me with a right hand and I instantly knew that the fight he had with Tyron Woodley when he knocked him unconscious wasn’t fixed at all.
“That was a real shot, he caught me with a shot and of course, I’m a seasoned professional boxer I wasn’t dazed or got dropped or anything, but I didn’t want to get hit with that shot anymore.
“I had to make adjustments to make sure I didn’t get hit with it anymore. When he caught me I felt the pop on him.”
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Paul knocked out Askren, 38, and Woodley, 40, but was taken the distance by UFC legend Silva, 47, last October.
But he faces his first opponent with a recognised pro boxing record on Sunday in Saudi Arabia, against Fury, 23.
Henderson, 32, was approached by Paul’s coach BJ Flores via Instagram to help prepare for the celebrity grudge match.
And after three weeks in camp with the American in Dubai – just 400 miles away from the scene of fight night – he was full of praise.
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Henderson said: “What really shocked me the most was he’s really locked in, man.
“He’s not doing this for no gimmick, for no jokes or content or likes or shares.
“He’s really a boxer, he trains like I would for a fight. He goes to the gym and doesn’t play around, does his recovery and he goes home.
“He doesn’t hang around the gym and crack jokes, he goes and puts in work.”
Super-middleweight contender Henderson admitted it took a few rounds to come to terms with Paul’s uncoventional style.
He revealed: “Jake’s a little unorthodox, a little quirky in his movement.
“It’s not like a traditional boxer where you know where the shots are coming from.
“His timing is a little weird too, he’ll be moving one second and then he’ll throw a right hand or a left hand the next second.
“It kind of takes a little time to adjust to it. He has good pop for his size.”
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Paul, in just three years of professional prizefighting, is already one of the richest stars in the sport.
In 2021, he was behind only Canelo Alvarez, 32, and Tyson Fury, 34, in the list of highest-paid boxers.
His pay-per-view appeal has afforded him fortune in the ring, but away from the on-screen bravado, Paul is a welcoming character.
Henderson said: “When Jake’s on camera, he’s one way, kinda like an actor in a movie. But when you’re talking to him, he’s very cool, down to earth.
“I was sharing some insight from one of our sparring sessions, what I was impressed on and it was cool to hear how intellectual Jake is and how his mind works on boxing.
“He was locked in. He’s a cool guy, man. No issues at all.”
Paul is finally set to fight Fury, who has twice pulled out in the past amid injury and US visa issues.
And Henderson has backed his training partner to win, in a warning to Britain’s Fury.
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He said: “If Tommy comes in and what to press and engage, he might get caught early and go to sleep.
“It really depends on what Tommy shows up that night. But I know Jake is going to come ready.
Don’t miss the True Test on Sunday as Jake Paul takes on Tommy Fury, exclusively on talkSPORT for FREE. Download the app.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
