‘Genuinely fear for Jake Paul’s life’: Boxing world reacts as shock heavyweight megafight locked in
It’s official: Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul will throw down in a heavyweight blockbuster in Miami on December 19.
Rumours swirling earlier in the month that the former two-time world heavyweight champion would fight the YouTuber-turned-boxer have now been confirmed by Paul’s company.
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“This isn’t an AI simulation. This is Judgment Day,” said Paul
“A professional heavyweight fight against an elite world champion in his prime.
“When I beat Anthony Joshua, every doubt disappears, and no one can deny me the opportunity to fight for a world title.
“To all my haters, this is what you wanted. To the people of the United Kingdom, I am sorry.”
America’s Paul, 28, who has a 12-1 record, beat heavyweight great Mike Tyson in Texas in November 2024.
(FILES) US boxer, actor and YouTuber Jake Paul gestures during his weigh-in ahead of his heavyweight boxing match against Former US heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson in Irving, Texas, on November 14, 2024. YouTube star Jake Paul will face former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in Miami next month, Matchroom Boxing announced on Monday, November 17. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)Source: AFP
Joshua, 36, hasn’t fought since his brutal stoppage to Daniel Dubois in September 2024.
“Jake or anyone can get this work. No mercy,” said Joshua.
“I took some time out and I’m coming back with a mega show. It’s a big opportunity for me. Whether you like it or not, I’m here to do massive numbers, have big fights and break every record whilst keeping cool, calm and collected.
“Mark my words, you’ll see a lot more fighters take these opportunities in the future. I’m about to break the internet over Jake Paul’s face.”
The bout is scheduled for eight, three-minute rounds, and both boxers will wear 10-ounce gloves, the standard for heavyweight contests.
The boxing world was left reeling last week when reports emerged that Joshua and Paul were in serious talks for a December showdown, a matchup many pundits labelled a monumental mistake.
For boxing purists, the idea of an elite heavyweight sharing a ring with a relative novice borders on sacrilege. For promoters, it screams monster payday.
British boxing great David Haye said that he fears AJ might actually kill Paul.
“If this fight comes to fruition I genuinely fear for Jake Paul’s life,” he told The Sun.
“If by some miracle he were to pull off an upset, it would be bigger than Mike Tyson’s defeat against Buster Douglas.
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – DECEMBER 23: Anthony Joshua taunts during the Heavyweight fight between Anthony Joshua and Otto Wallin during the Day of Reckoning: Fight Night at Kingdom Arena on December 23, 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images) Two-time World Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua To Fight YouTube Star Jake Paul.Source: Getty Images
“In boxing pedigree terms, this is like a lion vs a house cat. Two completely different propositions.”
Dave Allen, one of AJ’s former sparring partners, has spoken out in disgust over the shameless cash-grab fight.
“It’s a load of bollocks. I’d be very disappointed if it happens. And I used to be good mates with Anthony Joshua many years ago, and I don’t believe he’d want to do it anyway,” Allen told IFL TV.
“I don’t think it’ll happen. I don’t think he’ll want to. Anthony Joshua is a serious guy and a serious boxing man.”
UFC president Dana White, long a critic of Paul, didn’t mince words either.
“Oh Jesus,” White said at the UFC 322 press conference when told about the possible matchup.
“That’s a f**king bad idea. That’s a bad idea.”
“But let me tell you what, a lot of people will watch that one.’’
When asked whether he’d tune in himself, White replied: “Sure. You know what everyone’s tuning in for… and I think everyone’s going to get what they’ve been waiting for.”
Even for those sympathetic to Joshua’s career choices, the optics of accepting such a fight remain questionable.
This is a man who has shared the ring with Oleksandr Usyk, Wladimir Klitschko and Andy Ruiz – fighters at the absolute pinnacle of the sport.
Heavyweight veteran Derek Chisora warned that if Joshua does take the bout, he’ll need to end it emphatically. And quickly.
“AJ took a year out – easy fight for him,” Chisora told IFL TV.
“I will say this about AJ: don’t let that guy [Paul] knock you out, because that will be f***ing nightmares forever, but AJ has to kill him in three rounds.
“[If it goes beyond three rounds] it doesn’t mean I back Jake Paul [to win], it means what is AJ doing? He has to smoke him in three rounds, the same way he did with Ngannou.
“How many rounds was Ngannou? Two? Exactly, so he has to smoke him in two rounds.”
For all the sporting debate, the real engine behind this fight is money – and potentially huge money.
Joshua, still one of the sport’s biggest commercial draws, could command a payday rivalling his biggest purses, especially with streaming rights up for grabs.
For a boxer whose career is probably nearing its twilight, this kind of fight will deliver one of the easiest – and most lucrative – nights of his life.
As ridiculous as it may appear, the timing of the fight also makes some sense for both men.
AJ is looking for a comeback opportunity, while Paul’s own plans collapsed recently when his exhibition bout with Gervonta Davis was scrapped following domestic violence and kidnapping allegations against Davis by an ex-girlfriend.
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Scrambling for a new narrative, Paul stepping up to face a towering heavyweight like Joshua is either genius or madness. Maybe a bit of both.
On paper, it reads like a mismatch. In practice, it may be one of the most-watched fights of the year.
Of course, there’s no guarantee fans will tune in at the same levels as the Tyson-Paul circus from last year. But let’s be honest – curiosity alone could make this the kind of stoush everyone ends up watching, whether they like it or not.
