Fans think Jake Paul faked weightlifting video as humiliating footage emerges

Fans were less than impressed with Jake Paul’s most recent training video ahead of his highly-anticipated fight against Mike Tyson. On Monday, the YouTuber-turned-boxer shared a clip of himself bench-pressing, prompting droves of critics to accuse him of using fake weights.
Taking to Instagram, Paul posted footage from the gym in which he appeared to break his personal record by benching 500 pounds. “New PR, 500 pounds,” he said. “I am the strongest heavyweight in existence. No spotter.”
After successfully completing one rep, Paul jumped up from the bench and pumped his fists as a group of supporters cheered him on. But viewers were hardly convinced by the impressive display, pointing out discrepancies with his form and the movement of the bar.
“He either has the strongest thumbs in the world or this is fake, because if you pressed barbells up like that, they’d be coming down on your chest!” one X user wrote, with another adding: “The liftoff and set up were the giveaway to me. Way too smooth. If you’re lifting heavy enough for a PR that weight is gonna move forward and back while you’re setting up and he set up way to quick and easy.”
A third added: “I know it’s different based on the bar, but the bars I’ve used at least began flexing visibly around 250-275, not a lot at all but if you looked head on you could see a little bend. There’s no flex at all in this. Probably closer to 100lbs.”
The majority of fans, however, were less concerned about Paul’s alleged personal record and more interested in his massive belly. The 27-year-old donned what appeared to be a fat suit with several of his tattoos drawn on, sparking sarcastic comments that he could be pregnant.
“Why does he look 6 months pregnant?” One person asked. Someone else joked: “Lifting that much weight during pregnancy isn’t recommended.”
Regardless, Paul’s latest stunt appears to be nothing more than an attempt to generate more buzz around his upcoming bout versus Tyson. The heavyweight fighters were initially slated to step into the ring together on July 20 in Arlington, Texas, but the fight needed to be rescheduled after the latter suffered an ulcer flare-up on a flight back in May.
The faceoff has since been rescheduled to November 15, when the pair will trade blows in front of 80,000 fans at AT&T Stadium – with an additional 270 million Netflix subscribers able to watch the spectacle from home.
While speaking at a raucous New York City press conference back in August, Paul expressed confidence in his ability to knock out Tyson in two months. “I’m here to make $40 million dollars and knock out a legend,” he said. “I don’t give a —- about anything else, and he’s the one that wanted to make it a pro fight. So he’s gonna get his — knocked out, for real, on a real record. You’re gonna see on BoxRec – Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson, Jake Paul KOs Mike Tyson. I’m not here to do anything but make a bag.”