JAKE PAUL has pumped the breaks on piling on the pounds for his fight against Mike Tyson.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer faces the legendary Tyson on November 15 in a controversial clash scrutinised for the age difference.
Not only will it mark Netflix’s first foray into live boxing but also Paul’s first fight at heavyweight.
The two were initially due to meet on July 20 but Tyson was forced out after suffering an ulcer flare-up while on a flight.
Paul had bulked up to a huge 230lb (16st 4lb) in preparation for the bout until Iron Mike was forced to withdraw.
Instead, ex-UFC star-turned-bare-knuckle boxer Mike Perry, 32, stepped in as a replacement for a 200lb cruiserweight bout.
READ MORE IN b
So Paul had to dramatically get down to 14st 4lb – losing over TWO STONE in just a month.
He went on to win the fight after six rounds and three knockdowns but strength and conditioning coach Larry Wade admitted it took its toll.
He said: “The last couple of months with Jake has been very challenging.
“You go from thinking about one of the biggest fights in the world with Mike Tyson to deciding that maybe you’re not fighting at all and then kind of relaxing a bit to then find out, boom, week later you’re going to be fighting Mike Perry.
Most read in Boxing
JAKE PAUL VS MIKE TYSON: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF HUGE BOUT
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
“Two different styles of fighters, two different styles of training. One in which Mike Tyson’s fighting two-minute rounds, Mike Perry’s fighting three-minute rounds which is a different kind of conditioning.
“He had to go back, lock in and get some stuff done on top of the fact we had to drop a lot of weight to get there. Definitely took a team effort.”
Paul, 27, will now fight Tyson, 58, this month but will not go up in weight as much as he did earlier in the year.
Wade revealed: “He needed a break so we took a month off, got right back into it and now we’re getting ready for Mike.
“We’re not as heavy as we were before which is a plus for us. I didn’t want us to go back up but you can guarantee he’s going to be ready fight night.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
