Jake Paul has been issued a chilling warning that he could die if he steps into the ring with Anthony Joshua.
The British boxing champion and Paul are rumoured to be finalising a $200m deal to meet in the ring for a heavyweight fight in Miami this December, with Netflix preparing to announce the bout next week.
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It has been reported that the deal is done and the fight will take place on either 19 or 26 December.
Paul had originally been scheduled to fight Gervonta Davis in November, but the event was cancelled amid Davis’ domestic violence allegations.
Davis’s former partner, Courtney Rossel, filed a civil lawsuit accusing him of battery, aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The accusation led to Paul’s company, Most Valuable Promotions, and Netflix deciding to scrap the event.
After Davis’s withdrawal, Paul’s team explored other potential opponents before landing on the former two-time unified heavyweight champion Joshua.
And while Joshua hasn’t fought since being stopped by Daniel Dubois in September 2024, British boxing legend David Haye told SunSport he believes Paul fighting Joshua would be blatantly dangerous.
“If this fight comes to fruition, I genuinely fear for Jake Paul’s life,” he said.
“If by some miracle he were to pull off an upset, it would be bigger than Mike Tyson’s defeat against Buster Douglas.
“In boxing pedigree terms, this is like a lion vs. a house cat. Two completely different propositions.”
Paul has had a successful boxing career to date, albeit against fighters well past their prime.
Nevertheless, his professional boxing record now reads 12-1, with his most recent victory a one-sided unanimous decision over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Paul’s lone loss came against boxer Tommy Fury in early 2023, and the rest of his opponents have been washed-up boxers or former MMA and NBA stars.
However, if Paul faces Joshua, it will be a different kettle of fish entirely.
The 36-year-old was formerly the most feared man in the heavyweight division, and such is the mismatch, the British Boxing Board of Control almost certainly wouldn’t sanction the event, a fact noted by Haye.
Haye, speaking as a Highbet ambassador, added: “I am struggling to believe that AJ will be allowed to freely punch Paul to the head without some sort of restriction or exhibition.
“Unless Anthony Joshua is in hospital, connected to a life support machine, he should find a way to victory in any way he wants.
“Paul has only 12 career wins to his name, against very modest competition. AJ is an Olympic gold medallist and two-time heavyweight champion of the world — this is absolutely crazy.”
Before the Paul fight became a reality, Joshua was pushing to fight Tyson Fury in an all-British heavyweight superfight.
However, Fury claims he is retired.
If, as expected, Paul and Joshua meet in the ring at the end of this year, it will be Netflix’s third boxing event, with Paul’s bout with Tyson and Canelo Alvarez and Terrance Crawford both drawing huge numbers.
Paul’s bout with Tyson became the most-streamed sporting event in history, peaking at 65 million live concurrent streams and drawing an estimated 108 million average live viewers worldwide.
While 41 million viewers tuned in to watch Crawford beat Mexican legend Canelo to win the undisputed Super Middleweight Championship.
– with The Sun
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