“I’m tougher than I believe I was,” Mike Tyson said when asked what he learned since starting his camp for the Jake Paul fight during open workouts on Tuesday. However, he might not even have to be that tough for the fight. At least, that’s what the fans are saying after watching Paul’s sparring footage from his training camp on social media.

Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions turned to social media earlier today, sharing footage from the Cleveland-born boxer’s training camp, as he sparred with several opponents from the heavyweight division. While ‘The Problem Child’ was getting the upper hand in all those fights, fans seemed to have had an unfavorable opinion about it. However, that’s not all!

Jake Paul sparred with the top 25 heavyweights?

“A look at Jake Paul’s sparring from his Mike Tyson fight camp,” Most Valuable Promotions wrote. “We’re 3 days out from fight night, [Do] y’all think Jake’s looking sharp?” Meanwhile, the video itself showed ‘El Gallo’ sparring several opponents, and even sending one to his knees after landing a stiff right hand.

“Miky Miky, better watch out, buddy,” Paul said in the clip. “Don’t charge at me, buddy. I got dynamite.” The clip also featured Jake Paul’s strength and conditioning coach Larry Wade, a former track and field athlete who specialized in the 110-metre hurdles. Unsurprisingly, Wade had a lot to say about Paul’s abilities since he started his training camp. 

“He’s dominated from day 1 with heavyweights, and I don’t mean some random heavyweight. I mean, heavyweights that are ranked in the top 25 and top 15 in the world,” Wade said. While Wade seems confident in his fighter, even Mike Tyson has some serious backing. Roy Jones Jr., who squared off against Tyson in 2020 in an exhibition fight has shared his thoughts on the fight.

“I feel like I’ve got some of the fastest hands in boxing. I’m thinking ‘No way in the world he can dodge my punches’. But he was. He was able to dodge them and I was surprised,” Jones Jr. said about their exhibition bout in 2020. “The first time he hit me in the chest, it was like a mule had kicked me in the chest, at 57 years old! I said ‘Oh, my goodness, you ain’t going to hit me no more’.”

That said, reacting to the sparring footage from Paul, the boxing world remained unconvinced the 27-year-old would be able to take down Mike Tyson. 

Sparring footage fuels confidence in Mike Tyson fans

The Cleveland native may have hoped to show off his talents, but people seem to be losing confidence in him. Like this user, who explained how Paul’s sparring showed him the reality of the situation. “Looking at old man Mike, I thought [it’d] be difficult for him. But looking at this footage, old man Mike will smoke Jake. Even at this age, Mike’s hands are faster. Don’t know if his stamina will hold or not,” the user wrote. But it’s worth noting that father time catches up to everyone, and Tyson is no exception—all we can hope for is that time hasn’t gotten to Tyson yet. 

Another user presented an opposite perspective to what Paul’s coach said about him. “A couple  [of] years ago[,] he actually looked at least decent and was improving[.] He’s regressed so much since moving up in weight and he already wasn’t that good to begin with,” the user claimed. Notably, for most of Paul’s career, he has fought MMA guys or people who have gone way past their prime. The only boxer he fought, Tommy Fury, defeated him, although via split decision. 

Someone else pointed out the good and bad in Jake’s abilities. “Jake [is] a good brawler but [is a] terrible boxer, fundamentally,” the user commented. In that case, Paul is facing off against the ultimate brawler, who is also highly skilled and has a strong understanding of the ring. 

Meanwhile, this user took issue with something else. “Jake’s footwork is s**t,” claimed the user. However, given the time Paul has spent in the sport, he is actually not that bad. 

The next user directly questioned Wade’s claims of Paul sparring with the top 25 heavyweights. “Who’s sparring him in the top 25? I call 🧢,” the user announced. Notably, no specific names have been given by Paul’s corner. 

It appears that despite numerous efforts from Jake Paul to show himself as a skilled fighter, people are just unwilling to buy what he is selling. With just over a couple of days in the fight, Tyson’s followers are starting to voice their support, like these comments. What did you think about the sparring footage? Can Paul beat Tyson?