Jake Paul has admitted that he would have struggled more to deal with his loss to Tommy Fury were it not for the support behind-the-scenes of his new girlfriend.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer has been dating Dutch speed-skater Jutta Leerdam for the past few weeks, with the pair going Instagram official earlier this month after spending time together in Puerto Rico. And he says that her understanding of the feeling that follows a high-profile loss from her own career as a world champion helped him to cope with defeat.
Paul had won his seven fights; six as a professional and one white collar, before facing Fury in Saudi Arabia at the end of February. But he took on too big of a step up in facing the Brit and ended up slumping to a split decision loss, which he has taken on the chin in multiple interviews and press conferences since.
Speaking in a rare video on his YouTube channel, Paul told fans that Leerdam was a huge part in his getting over the defeat, saying: "I have a new girlfriend which is pretty cool. It's been so refreshing, she's a world champion and I've just been so amazed by her and her work ethic and how much of an Angel she is.
"She's one of the most pure-hearted human beings that I have met in my life, so genuine and she has just changed my perspective and helped me coming out of this loss when I was in a dark place. She really was there talking about her losses and was able to relate to those things and what I was going through. So she's been such a blessing; Jutta if you're watching this hi, you're amazing."
Paul has already announced his return to the ring for this summer - he'll face UFC legend Nate Diaz on August 5 in Dallas, Texas. The bout has been in the works for years, and he admitted before the Fury fight that he was keen to make it happen next regardless of the result.
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Speaking with Mirror Fighting before his bout with Fury, Paul said: "I do schedule these things, I'm a businessman and I love my Google calendar. I have a plan every single day, a 'to-do' list every single day so of course I'm going to be looking at future fights and planning those out as well.
"I'm a Capricorn, that's how we do it Nate Diaz is next. He's on standby ready, waiting and willing. Our teams are talking almost all the time and it's a perfect next fight."
Paul's girlfriend Leerdam is something of a social media influencer as well, with over 4.2million followers on Instagram. She has medalled at the Winter Olympics and at just 24-years-old is already a decorate speed-skater.
