In a new interview, Jake Paul says he is suffering from mood swings, memory loss, and slurred speech.
The 24-year-old known for his controversies as a social media star turned in boxing in 2018 when he defeated KSI’s young brother Deji Olatunji in his first amateur bout.
Paul knocked out his first three opponents as a professional boxer before stepping into the ring with former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, winning a closely contested bout by split decision.
He is set to face the former UFC star in a rematch on Saturday after Tommy Fury pulled out of their fight due to an injury less than two weeks before it was scheduled to take place.
Jake Paul talks about concussions and side effects
Jake Paul sat down for an interview on In-Depth Graham Bensinger, in which he spoke about his boxing career.
When asked about his comments about suffering from mood swings and memory loss, Paul said he had received concussions before his boxing career from playing football in school.
In addition, Paul said he also received concussions when he started his boxing career due to sparring high-level opponents.
When asked how many concussions he had suffered, Paul estimated between 20 and 30, adding that “it’s really hard to say” exactly how many.
The 24-year-old admitted he is concerned about his long-term health and described when he began noticing his memory loss and slurred speech.
“I notice it in conversations with like, with my girlfriend or friends, like, not remembering something that I should be able to remember that happened a couple of days ago,” Paul explained.
“Sometimes in my speech, where like every hundredth or two hundredth word, I’ll mess up or, like, slur. Which I didn’t do that before,” he added.
The boxer and YouTuber referenced psychedelics, such as toad venom, as potential treatments for head injuries.
Paul told Graham Bensinger that scans of his head before his boxing career revealed brain damage and a second scan post-boxing revealed further brain trauma.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a rare progressive brain condition that is believed to be caused by repeated concussions. It’s mainly associated with contact sports, such as boxing or American football.
Paul said in the interview that his brain damage, despite his relatively short boxing career, is due to high-level training.
“I think before, it was affecting me more at a rapid pace because I never took it easy,” Paul said, adding. “I was always thrown in there with people who were way, way better than me until I started to slowly get to their level.”