Boxing
Jake Paul steps up mind games as he reveals how he is preparing for Gervonta Davis showdown
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Jake Paul has turned to Gervonta Davis’ domestic rival Shakur Stevenson as a sparring partner to prepare for his exhibition bout with ‘Tank’ next month in an apparent bid to get under the skin of his upcoming opponent.
Cruiserweight Paul will take on lightweight world champion Davis on Friday, November 14, at a catchweight of 195lbs. Although formally an exhibition, the contest will be scored in order to produce a winner.
Stevenson and Davis both hold world titles at 135lbs - the former is the WBC champion and the the latter is currently in possession of the WBA belt. The pair have exchanged words over the years, with Stevenson calling out Davis for a bout that has never materialised.
Davis and Stevenson sparred together earlier in their careers, with both fighters claiming they held the upper hand, and now influencer-turned-fighter Paul will use the services of the WBC lightweight title holder.
Paul told TMZ Sports: “We have world champions - Raymond Ford in the 130lb weight class, Montana Love, and Shakur Stevenson is coming in this week."
Stevenson is not the only world champion Paul has called upon to prepare for the Davis fight, with Ford, the former WBA featherweight title holder, also in camp.
Whilst the inclusion of Stevenson may serve to irritate Davis, Paul believes the skill - and speed - of the WBC champion will be a big boon for his hopes.He continued: “Just sparring against guys on their level, and people who have been doing this their whole entire lives, but we’re really focusing on speed, and not as much on power.
“We’re not doing as much weight lifting and all of that stuff. I’m actually trying to lose some muscle, so that I have less weight and so that my punches are coming off faster.”
A Golden Gloves winner at bantamweight in 2012, Davis has won titles at 130lbs, 135lbs, and 140lbs, but has never weighed in for a fight higher than 139.75lbs.
In comparison, Paul has campaigned for the most part as a cruiserweight and has filled out to the division's maximum weight limit of 200lbs in recent years. Paul also weighed in at 227.25lbs to face heavyweight legend Mike Tyson for a bout in 2024.
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