Jake Paul’s sparring partner has spoken up for the first time since a video of him being dropped by ‘The Problem Child’ went viral on social media.
Ahead of his bout against Mike Tyson, slated for November 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul is pushing his limits after bulking up from cruiserweight to heavyweight. Over the past few months he’s been actively posting updates on his training, and a clip of him appearing to floor a sparring opponent gained some serious traction online.
Reaction to the video was mixed, with some fans accusing Paul, 27, of training with an inexperienced opponent. But it later turned out to be DeAndre Savage, an undefeated heavyweight ranked 15th in the world by the WBA. And for the first time since the clip went viral, Savage has spoken publicly.
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The 34-year-old fighter chose not to mention the video, which amassed over 10 million views on Instagram alone, opting instead to express gratitude for his role in Paul’s training. “I want to give a big thanks to the sport of boxing for helping me get paid to travel all over the world,” Savage wrote on Instagram.
“I also want to thank my coach @3rdworldboxing who is the head trainer of Jake Paul for selling me my first home. I want to thank @jakepaul for helping me make the money to purchase my first home that sits on 1.5 acres of land, with a big pole barn in the back yard. This year has been a great year by far. Big fights are on the way, stay tuned.”
In the video, Savage gets hit by an overhand right, similar to the one Paul knocked Tyron Woodley out with back in 2021, and drops to one knee. It isn’t clear whether he actually gets knocked to the floor as the clip is then cut short.
Paul (R) caught savage with a stiff right hand during a sparring session (
@JakePaul (Instagram))
The punch knocked Savage to one knee before the clip was cut short (
@JakePaul (Instagram))
While uploading the post to his Instagram page, Paul mocked Tyson in the caption by telling him to “take notes”. However, Tyson shot back at the footage, insinuating something was amiss. “You seen his sparring session where the guy faked being knocked out? That was beautiful,” Tyson said in a recent interview with Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo.
Meanwhile, a clip of Tyson flooring his sparring partner went viral last week, prompting fans to urge Paul to pull out of the contest.
Michigan native Savage, who joined the professional ranks in 2021 after honing his skills in amateur boxing for four years, has amassed an impressive record, with six of his eight bouts ending in knockouts. The other two were ruled as no contests. Paul boasts a nearly spotless record: with 10 victories out of 11 professional bouts. His only defeat came against Tommy Fury, Tyson Fury’s brother, in a match back in 2023.
His face-off with Tyson, 58, marks his first encounter with a high-profile career boxer, albeit one who hasn’t stepped into the professional ring in almost two decades. ‘Iron Mike’, however, did participate in an exhibition match against Roy Jones Jr four years ago, and has stayed fighting fit ever since.
The Tyson vs Paul bout was originally set for July, but had to be delayed when the former experienced an ulcer flare-up during training.
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