Anthony Joshua offered up surprising words when it comes to Jake Paul
Anthony Joshua surprisingly claimed Jake Paul would have a chance against some of his former opponents – summing up how highly he rates the YouTuber. The former two-time unified heavyweight champion stunned the boxing world by accepting a fight against Paul on December 19 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
The mega-bout will be contested over eight three-minute rounds, with both fighters set to wear 10oz gloves. In the case of Joshua, the Brit must not weigh more than 245lbs. The bout is far and beyond the biggest test of Paul’s boxing career, who last defeated former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in June earlier this year.
With his range of opponents having begun from MMA and NBA athletes, Paul has continually tested the boxing waters, which is where he received his first career loss against Tommy Fury back in 2023.
Prior to Joshua’s knockout loss to Daniel Dubois last year, the Watford-born boxer sensationally knocked out ex-UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in the second round. When speaking to Fight Hype, it was Ngannou that Joshua admitted Paul could beat when asked which of his last six opponents could be defeated by the 28-year-old.
“Maybe Ngannou,” the Briton claimed. “That’s a fight you might see in the future. It’s a good question, I swear to you I was asking myself that yesterday. I wonder how some of the fighters I’ve fought would get on with Jake.”
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Joshua’s comments are quite the compliment to Paul given he’s still a novice in the sport. The compliments towards Paul didn’t stop there from Joshua who praised his opponent’s business acumen.
“I think he is a smart operator,” the former world champion said. “I think he has managed to put a good team around him to help him achieve his wildest dreams. But, in short, I think he is a smart, young man.”
Watch Jake vs Joshua live on Netflix for free
Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul will face off for a heavyweight clash in Miami on December 19. The fight will stream live on Netflix, which fans can get for free with Sky’s £15 Essential TV bundle, the brand’s ‘lowest ever price’ for Sky TV.
The 36-year-old said the American is a “realist” when asked whether he was crazy for accepting the fight. Joshua explained: “I am going to come to fight. And, by the way, there’s no stuff in the contract that says I cannot do this.
“I will come to fight. That’s what he wants, though. So, it’s not crazy. He is getting what he wants. He is not crazy. I do not think Jake is crazy. He is a realist. He is a logical man. And he wants to fight.”
The Brit detailed what would be a positive result for him on the night, admitting just beating Paul won’t satisfy him. “It’s not a win for me if I just beat him; I need to knock him out,” Joshua said.
“I’m going to break his face and break his body. I’m here to prove I’m the better fighter and will do that until I stop fighting. I’m going to go in there and do a job. I want to hurt him, I’m going to want to really hurt him in the ring.
“I’m going to come forward and impose myself. I’m going to land heavy punches and expose him to certain tricks in boxing that he maybe hasn’t seen yet. And I’m going to bring him to a different school of boxing that he maybe hasn’t been exposed to yet.”
