Former world champion Carl Froch has cast doubt over the Jake Paul versus Anthony Joshua fight despite having flights booked for the December 19 bout in Miami, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The British boxing legend dismissed Paul’s recent claim that Lawrence Okolie gave him a black eye during sparring, suggesting the YouTuber-turned-boxer is not good enough to properly spar with the former cruiserweight champion.

“They’re not sparring, Jake Paul. They’re moving around with him, touching him up with a little jab and the little technical rubbish. They’re not sparring with him. Lawrence Okolie is quite a good puncher. He’s big now. Jake Paul’s not good enough to spar him,” Froch told Games Hub in an exclusive interview.

“So let’s see the footage. Let’s see the sparring, and then I’ll believe it. I still don’t believe the Jake Paul versus AJ fight is going to happen, but I’ve got flights booked.”

The professionally-sanctioned heavyweight bout has drawn widespread concern from boxing figures, with Muhammad Ali’s grandson, Nico Ali and former world champion Amir Khan both warning that Paul is putting his life at risk.

“It’s very dangerous for Jake Paul. Boxing is not rigged, it’s very dangerous,” Ali Walsh told SunSport, adding that “people die in the ring.”

Khan echoed similar sentiments, stating, “Someone like Jake Paul needs to be protected by his own team; no one’s really helping him in my opinion. You can put the poor guy’s life on the line, and that one punch can always change your life.”

Despite his scepticism about the bout, Froch expressed admiration for Joshua’s impact on boxing.

“I think if me and AJ saw each other, which we might be doing in Miami, when he fights Jake Paul, hopefully we will have a handshake and have a chat,” Froch said.

“What he’s done for boxing is phenomenal, and no one’s done that since Ricky Hatton or Naseem Hamed. We’ve seen world champions come and go that haven’t done as much for the sport as AJ.”