Anthony Joshua rescued Jake Paul from missing out on a massive payday. Paul was initially slated to face Gervonta Davis, but MVP was forced to abandon the bout after Davis’ ex-girlfriend filed a lawsuit against him. The Netflix-exclusive fight was suddenly at risk of being scrapped altogether—potentially jeopardizing Paul’s growing relationship with the streaming giant. Joshua, however, is unlikely to show any such mercy once they step into the ring.

They are scheduled to face off on December 19 at the Kaseya Center in Miami. In preparation, Paul overhauled his sparring lineup, swapping out Shakur Stevenson and Montana Love for heavier, more physical looks in Jared Anderson, Frank Sanchez, and Lawrence Okolie. But the move doesn’t appear to be paying off. Ryan Garcia revealed insider details from Paul’s sparring sessions, which raise concerns about how ready ‘The Problem Child’ truly is for Joshua.

Jake Paul is getting rinsed in sparring before the Anthony Joshua fight

While appearing on a livestream with rapper Darryl Dwayne Granberry Jr., better known as DDG, the conversation drifted toward boxing—specifically Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua. That’s when Ryan Garcia asked DDG for his take on the matchup. “I think Jake Paul got a chance,” the rapper said, a response that visibly surprised Garcia, who suggested DDG’s opinion may have been influenced by his perceived friendship with Paul.

Garcia then began sharing what he claimed were insider details from Paul’s sparring sessions, alleging that the YouTuber-turned-boxer has been struggling against his heavyweight sparring partners. “I heard word that he’s getting beat up in sparring by these heavyweights. And these are not even Anthony Joshua, bro… I’m probably leaking some s—t, bro,” Garcia said on the live stream a couple of days ago.

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He also claimed that after the Gervonta Davis fight collapsed, Jake Paul desperately reached out to several fighters—including Garcia himself—to replace the bout. “I said no… Boom, Anthony Joshua. F—k, I’m doing it. Trying to please people, and that’s why he made a mistake for sure, 100%,” Garcia added. Garcia’s comments appear to align with Paul’s own recent livestream with Adin Ross, where Paul appeared with a black eye.

When asked about it, Paul revealed that former world champion Lawrence Okolie had caused the injury during sparring. Paul’s business partner, Nakisa Bidarian, later admitted he was unaware of the injury until seeing it on social media. However, he maintained that Paul is training with elite fighters under top-tier coaches in preparation for Joshua. Whether those sparring sessions will be enough to elevate Paul to Joshua’s level remains to be seen.

But Garcia’s revelations leave one lingering question: why did he turn down the opportunity to face Jake Paul himself?

Ryan Garcia claims he rejected $20 million to fight Paul

After being approached by Paul to replace Davis, he claimed that while the payday was tempting, ‘King Ry’ says he chose sporting credibility over cash. “I didn’t take the Jake Paul fight because I had the Barrios fight lined up,” Garcia told Covers[dot]com. “I had $20 million offered, I went with Barrios for less.”

Garcia also questioned the logic of the matchup, citing Paul’s size advantage. “That’s a stupid matchup [for me]. He’s 220 pounds, for damn’s sake,” he said. “How am I going to knock out a 220-pound dude that somewhat knows how to box?” Garcia added that while a Paul fight could happen later, “as of right now, I think that my opportunities in boxing just serve me better.”

That said, things aren’t looking good for Jake Paul, especially if Garcia’s leak is true. But it’s not as surprising either, given Paul’s lack of experience in boxing. But do you think Paul can shift the tide in his favor?