Jake Paul garnered millions of views and thousands of comments after sharing footage of a recent knockdown he landed in sparring.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer is currently in the gym preparing to face Mike Tyson in a massive blockbuster event on Netflix. He has shared his progress as he bulks up to heavyweight, including a number of sparring clips with bigger opponents in the lead-up.
And one particular video, in which he lands a big overhand right on a teammate who falls to the canvas, has gone viral on social media. And it has now been revealed that the partner is not a journeyman, as some have claimed, and is in fact a top prospect at heavyweight.
- Who is Jake Paul? Get to know the YouTuber-turned-boxing sensation as he prepares to fight Mike Tyson
Jake Paul drops sparring partner in new training video
On Thursday evening, Jake Paul got the internet talking as he shared footage from inside his training camp where he floored one of his sparring partners. The YouTube star appeared to duck his head and land an overhand right similar to the one that stopped Tyron Woodley, landing a knockdown.
The video garnered over 5million views across various channels, with many fans claiming that he was sparring with an unfit and inappropriate teammate. Paul has been forced to spar with bigger opponents as he prepares for his heavyweight debut against Tyson next month.
In the video, Paul even sent a brief message to the legendary former world champion. “Don’t charge at me, Tyson,” he said while looking directly at the camera.
Sparring partner in viral Jake Paul video revealed as unbeaten DeAndre Savage
There had been speculation online about the identity of Paul’s mystery sparring partner, with a number of theories appearing. Some claimed that it was Jeremiah Milton, an unbeaten heavyweight with 11 professional boxing victories.
However, he shut that speculation down, revealing that it was in fact little-known 6-0 prospect DeAndre Savage. The Michigan native turned professional in 2021 after four years on the amateur circuit, and has amassed six knockout victories, with two further no contests in bouts he was expected to win.
Savage stands at 6’3 and has weighed in as heavy as 300lb+ in his professional career, where he has been on a run of victories. His series of wins has even seen him land a spot in the WBA world rankings, coming in at number 15 with the recognized governing body.
The boxer last fought on September 12 in his hometown. There, his bout with KeShawn Jackson was ended early due to an accidental illegal shot, meaning he ended up with another No Contest on his record.
Savage has been in the ring with the likes of Jarrell Miller during sparring sessions, and appears to have been summoned to Paul’s training base in Puerto Rico. He has shared footage of the pair together as well as his own training with the social media star’s famed yellow ring in the background.
DeAndre Savage’s record called into question in social media clip
However, all may not be as it seems with Savage’s record. After fans claimed that the opponent in the video was Milton, the unbeaten heavyweight released a video on Tik Tok where he exposed his fellow fighter.
The pair previously fought in the amateurs, with Savage taunting Milton before the fight, only to be stopped. He shared footage of that amateur contest as well as other bouts that do not appear on any of Savage’s official records where he appears to be getting dropped and losing.
One video shows him in what appears to be MMA gloves with Russian characters on screen. He can be seen being put down in that footage, with another video showing him seemingly being at least knocked down, if not knocked out entirely.
This would indicate that while he may be unbeaten on his official record, he could have taken losses in unsanctioned bouts internationally. BoxRec lists him as 10-11 in his amateur days, although the website is unable to keep track of all amateur bouts and as such he may have a different record.
