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Retired ring legend Shane Mosley says he was impressed by the 'really bright' Jake Paul in his first meeting with the YouTuber-turned boxer.
The former three-weight world champion fought Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, and Canelo Alvarez during his Hall of Fame career which came to an end in 2016.
Now, he’s passing on his wisdom to boxing’s newest star in Puerto Rico.
Former cruiserweight contender BJ Flores oversaw Paul’s career up until the 26-year-old lost to Tommy Fury earlier this year and decided to shake things up.
The man who was once knocked out by Tony Bellew will continue to advise ‘The Problem Child’ but his core coaching team now consists of Mosely, Theo Chambers, and J’Leon Love.
Paul’s decision to work with ‘Sugar’ ahead of his comeback fight against UFC legend Nate Diaz on August 5 is not a rash one - the pair first met five years ago.
“I was one of the first trainers when he first fought AnEson Gib in Miami," Mosley said during an interview with
"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.
"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 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.
"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."
With Paul stepping up his level of opposition as of late, Mosely has decided to travel to Puerto Rico and help him prepare.
Diaz, the first man to beat Conor McGregor in the UFC, is regarded by many as one of MMA’s best boxers and was a sparring partner of two-weight world champion Andre Ward during his perfect 32-0 boxing career.
