Okolie: Jake Paul Could Have a ‘Very Good Chance’ Against AJ

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Heavyweight Lawrence Okolie has expressed his surprise at the boxing skills of YouTube star Jake Paul, saying he believes the 28-year-old American has a ‘very good chance’ of causing an upset against two-time world champion Anthony Joshua in their upcoming fight in Miami.
Okolie, a former world champion at cruiserweight and bridgerweight, has been sparring with Paul as part of his training camp, and has been impressed by his opponent’s ability to adapt and improve every day. “When I arrived, I asked the coaches quietly – what percentage do you want me to spar at? They looked at me funny and said no do what you do, go 100 per cent,” Okolie revealed. “They ran a great camp there. It looked like any world title camp I’ve ever seen, or held myself.”
Okolie believes that Paul’s ability to box well and move well in the ring could give him an advantage over Joshua, who is a former Olympic gold medallist and twice a unified world heavyweight champion. “I was surprised. Watching him spar other guys, and surprised actually by how hard he was to do what I usually do against people,” Okolie said. “He was throwing his own punches back and moving well, and the main thing was he was adapting and improving every day.”
Okolie also praised Paul’s boxing brain, application, and grit, saying that he thinks the fight depends on the first two or three rounds and how Paul approaches them. “If he approaches them how he did in sparring then he’s got a very good chance and he’s going to look great. People are going to be very shocked,” Okolie said.
However, Okolie also warned that Paul will face a different challenge in the ring than he did in sparring, and that it remains to be seen if he can handle the pressure of fighting a world-class opponent like Joshua. “It’s ten ounce gloves, different emotions, different energy, different build up. It’s not walking into a gym you’ve seen 100 times and putting on your head guard,” Okolie said.

Okolie’s World Title Plan in 2026

Okolie is just days away from his own fight, a main event clash against Ebenezer Tetteh in Lagos, Nigeria, on Sunday. After stepping up to heavyweight, Okolie could be on a collision course with highly-rated prospect Moses Itauma, after they were ordered to fight in a WBC final eliminator. “For me this fight is the one before the big one,” Okolie said. “I’m going to go out there, do my job, not do anything silly and win by knockout – then we’ll be back out here in Nigeria for a big one.”

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