'I trained with Jake Paul for Mike Tyson fight and what he struggled with was surprising'

Jake Paul is preparing to face Mike Tyson the ring later this week and the Youtuber has spoken openly about the surprising effect that boxing has had on his life

Jake Paul has confessed that boxing saved him during a dark time in his life.

‘The Problem Child’, 27, is preparing to fight Mike Tyson in a controversial marquee bout on November 15 that will be shown live on Netflix. It will be boxing legend Tyson’s first professional fight since 2005, and Paul could square off against the former undisputed heavyweight champion in front of potentially 90,000 fans at the AT&T Stadium.

During a day-in-the-life video with YouTuber Jesse James West, Paul put the usual pre-fight hype to one side as he showcased his training routine, even sparring with the host. On their three-mile run, though, Paul candidly admitted how much boxing had changed his life.

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“I would say there was a period where I lost everything, like brand deals and being demonetised, and just felt lost,” Paul said. “I didn’t have anyone to really turn to and it was just dark.

“The only way out was like, ‘I’m not going to let the world win and I’m going to show the world what I’m made of’. That’s right around when I started boxing.”

West was somewhat surprised by Paul showing such honesty ahead of fight night, given boxers normally tend to keep their cards close to their chest and try not to show any weakness. When he asked the YouTuber-turned-boxer if the sport had saved his life, Paul replied: “For sure.

"It’s a life metaphor: getting beat up and coming back, being patient, some rounds are hard, some rounds you win. But every day you have to show up and fight. “

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It has only been six years since Paul first stepped in the ring as an amateur, and he has since built a 10-1 pro record while establishing himself as a pay-per-view boxing star. Fighting Tyson, 58, is arguably the culmination of Paul’s bizarre journey into the sport, having featured on the undercard of ‘Iron Mike’s’ exhibition with Roy Jones Jr. in 2020.

The Youtuber-turned-boxer has patiently waited for his chance to face Tyson, with the fight originally scheduled for July. The bout was pushed back after Tyson suffered an ulcer flareup, but Paul stuck to the date and earned a TKO win over bare-knuckle boxing star Mike Perry.

However, it seems Paul may have played the waiting game well before the fight was announced earlier this year. On Instagram, Paul posted an old clip of himself in training ahead of his fight with Ben Askren in 2021, in which he said, "I just came up with a crazy idea. Do you think I could beat Mike Tyson?"