Shane Mosley has revealed the first time he met Jake Paul after Paul re-hired him as coach. The YouTuber-turned-boxer has brought Mosley back onto his coaching team ahead of his clash with former UFC star Nate Diaz in Dallas, Texas on August 5. But the 26-year-old is keen to bounce back and has demonstrated his determination by re-hiring boxing icon ‘Sugar’ to take over primary coaching duties from BJ Flores, who led Paul against Fury.
Paul is now 6-1 after losing the first fight of his fledgling career against British boxer Tommy Fury, a split-decision defeat in Saudi Arabia in February. And former three-weight world champion Mosley has opened up on his first meeting with Paul at his Hollywood home.
He said: ‘I was one of the first trainers when he first fought (YouTuber) AnEsonGib in Miami. I thought that when he came to training, “wow this kid is really trying to be a fighter, he really wants to do this”. I heard about him a little bit through my kids, and we stopped by his house in Hollywood.
‘I said “you like boxing, you need to give me a call – I have a gym and I can show you how to be a real fighter”. Not just a YouTuber playing around, how to be a real fighter. ‘He said he really likes boxing, we just showed up to his house and if you like boxing you know who I am. We started talking, I thought he was a really bright guy, he was about 21 years old.
‘I think I convinced him, I showed him how to be a professional fighter and I would have him go down the street to spar with real fighters. I had him in a real boxing environment, BJ Flores was my assistant. I thought BJ Flores at the time should be able to train him on the level of the YouTubers he was fighting.’
‘I’m doubling down. This is what I’m meant to be doing and I’m destined to do in life. And so, they see now, I think, that I’m dedicated even after a loss.‘I’m not just doing it for the money, I’m not just doing it to win. I’m not just doing it to knock people out. This is what I truly love and I’m passionate about.’
Mosley will now train Paul full-time on Caribbean island Puerto Rico, with Flores remaining on Paul’s coaching team on an advisory basis. Ahead of his bout with Diaz, Paul said: ‘A lot of people probably, at my level, would’ve just lost and went away or came back and fought someone easy or hid away for a while.
