Jake Paul’s sparring partner Anthony Taylor says he’s in talks to fight Roy Jones Jr., 53, on YouTuber’s next undercard

ANTHONY TAYLOR says he’s in talks with Roy Jones Jr for an exhibition fight for Jake Paul’s next undercard.

Taylor, 33, is a former Bellator MMA fighter but has made a name for himself as one of Paul’s main sparring partners.

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He’s featured on the YouTuber-turned-prizefighter’s last two undercards and is aiming for a hat-trick.

And after meeting Jones, 53, at a celebrity boxing event, Taylor may have found his most iconic dance partner yet.

He told SunSport: “We spoke in person and he agreed to fight me if it’s a pay-per-view scale like Showtime.

“So we both verbally agreed to fight each other in August if that’s possible on the Jake Paul card.”

Taylor was beaten by Tommy Fury (22) last August and then suffered a loss to old rival Chris Avila (29) in December.

But a fight with Jones is unlikely to be professionally sanctioned given the age of the American legend, so it needs to be a spectacle show instead.

Taylor added: “Me and Roy were talking and it was definitely going to be an exhibition match because he’s older.

“We’re not sure if he would survive his medicals, but as this is a special exhibition it’s more likely that the fight can go ahead.

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“What corporal punishment will sanction that as a pro fight? No one. But as a special spectacle? Absolutely, it can happen.”

Jones last fought as a pro in 2018 but made a notable return in November 2020 to take on Mike Tyson, 55.

The eight-round exhibition went the distance and ended in a tie, with the pair of boxing icons winning Taylor’s approval.

He said: “Roy did what he could with the time he had.

“If he had had six months to train, I’m sure he would have had a lot more time to condition.

“Roy is old enough and we can expect someone in their early 50s to behave the way he did in his 20s.

“But Roy did his best and I was impressed. A lot of people were impressed by Mike Tyson and Roy Jones.

“Roy still has it, don’t be fooled.”

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