A recent photo of Jake Paul has people speculating about the YouTuber’s potential steroid abuse.
Ever since transitioning to combat sports in 2020, ‘The Problem Child’ has been accused of using performance-enhancing substances to rapidly bulk up. Recently, the accusations ramped up after a picture of Paul showed him sporting some of the hallmarks of steroid abuse, specifically acne and a thinning hairline.
Paul continues to deny the allegations and has gone so far as to publish results from past PED tests, but the photo, which you can see below, has sparked skepticism among some medical professionals.
New York-based physician Dr. Stuart Fischer told DailyMail that the image was “definitely suspicious” while explaining that steroid use can weaken the skin causing hormonal fluctuations that can then in turn cause someone to develop acne and hair loss. Dr. Fischer also added a sudden outbreak of acne at Paul’s age was rather unusual.
Jake Paul is not scrutinized like other professional athletes, leading to further speculation
Tom Coughlin, a sports performance nutritionist and anti-doping educator, added that speculation over Paul’s alleged use is often highlighted by the fact that he’s never had to participate in a strict anti-doping program like other professional athletes.
“He’s certainly not, I suppose, put under the same sort of scrutiny as a professional athlete would when it comes to that,” Coughlin said.
Even with their extensive knowledge and growing suspicions, it’s simply not enough to confirm without a shadow of a doubt that Paul is using some form of performance-enhancing substance. The only way to know for sure is through testing.
“The evidence that we have is not a smoking gun by itself,” Coughlin concluded.
After securing a sixth-round TKO against BKFC star ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry in July, Jake Paul will return to the squared circle on Friday, November 15 for a professional boxing bout with legendary pugilist ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson. The fight will emanate from the 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and air live on Netflix.
It will be the streaming giant’s first foray into live combat sports.