Jake Paul bizarrely claims he has tested himself more than Ali, Tyson, and Mayweather did early in their careers

• Jake Paul said he's been tested harder than the greats of boxing when they started their careers.
• The YouTube boxer made the comment at a press event Monday ahead of his December fight.

YouTube boxer Jake Paul has claimed he's done more to test himself than Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, or Floyd Mayweather did during similar developmental stages in their own careers.

The 24-year-old made the comment Monday at a press event held inside the Amalie Arena in Tampa, ahead of his December 18 cruiserweight boxing bout against Tommy Fury at the same venue.

Paul will be looking to preserve his unbeaten record at Fury's expense, having beaten fellow creator AnEsonGib, the former basketball player Nate Robinson, and former MMA champion Ben Askren in his career to date.

In his most recent bout, which Paul called his "first real test," he out-pointed the former UFC champion Tyron Woodley.

Paul called Woodley "a UFC Champion who dominated the UFC with his big overhand right."

The lasting image from that August win was Woodley hitting Paul so hard he fell into the ropes looking dazed and confused.

"He hit me with a shot in the fourth round that was nothing," said Paul. "I ate it very easily and kept moving. I found a way to win and passed my first test in my fourth professional fight."

Paul then added: "Nobody from Muhammad Ali to Mike Tyson to Floyd Mayweather was testing themselves as much as I was in my fourth fight. I learned a lot about myself and what I'm capable of and performing under pressure."

Tommy Fury is a 'virgin', according to Jake Paul

Though Paul claims to have been tested harder than the greats of boxing when they were novices, he is unfazed by fighting an actual boxer for the first time in his career, and even threw a childish slur at his opponent, calling him a "virgin."

"I see a green guy who hasn't sparred enough times and who has only been put in there with opponents that were meant to lose," he said.

"This is his first real test where his opponent just doesn't flop over. You're going to see that. You're going to see a fighter who is a virgin, in my opinion. He has no idea what he's getting himself into.

"This is his first time under the big lights and on the big stage, and he's going to crack under the pressure."

Tommy is the half-brother of the world heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury, who has been offering advice, alongside trainer Javan "SugarHill" Steward.

"Is he actually a Fury, or will we find out if he's just a half-Fury?" - Paul asked. "Does he have the heart like his brother or is he just living in the shadow of his brother?"

Regardless, Paul expects to finish Fury.

"I know he's going to fade. It's just what round? Fifth? Sixth? Seventh? Maybe I knock him out in the last 10 seconds of the eighth. But he's not hearing that eighth bell ring."

He added: "He's doing this because his brother does it. Because his dad told him to do it. This isn't something he wants to do. If it was up to him, he'd be an Abercrombie & Fitch model."

Tyson Fury, meanwhile, expects Tommy to prevail. "I think Tommy will knock him out," Tyson said.

"Like I said to Tommy, if he can't knock Jake Paul out, fly to a foreign country and stay there because he ain't coming home."