Sports
Jake Paul Reveals ‘Biggest Mistake’ He Made When Fighting Anthony Joshua
Social media superstar Jake Paul has shared his one major regret after being knocked out by Anthony Joshua in Miami, Florida on Friday night.
The 28-year-old suffered the first stoppage defeat of his 14-fight career when he was knocked out in the sixth round after being on the canvas multiple times, before referee Christopher Young called the fight off.
Many pundits had concerns going into the bout, namely related to the size difference between Paul and Joshua, as well as the gulf in experience between the two. However, during an appearance on the most recent episode of his brother Logan’s Impaulsive podcast, Jake spoke candidly about what he feels caused his downfall against ‘AJ’.
“It was mental,” said Paul of what led to him being knocked out. “It was him [Joshua] imposing his will on me and being massive, with the big shots landing – and once that starts, it all goes downhill from there.”
Jake Paul’s ‘Biggest Regret’ vs Anthony Joshua
Paul took the fight with former two-time world heavyweight champion Joshua on just three weeks’ notice, having pulled the plug on a planned contest with lightweight world champion Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis. Going from preparing to face a lightweight and then pivoting to fighting a heavyweight would be a big ask for any fighter and Paul admitted it had affected him.
“I wish I had more than three weeks to prepare and maybe put on some more muscle to be able to sit there and trade with him.”
The American then went on to reveal what he considers to have been his “biggest mistake” in relation to the fight.
“I should have gone to altitude to train. That was my biggest mistake. I felt good about my camp, but I needed that extra level of cardio for this fight, and that only comes from altitude. I was 200 pounds one week out, then had to put more weight back on.”
Paul’s mother joined him on the podcast, telling viewers that Jake had been ill for almost 10 days heading into the bout, something that drained him leading up to the fight and meant he wasn’t at 100 percent.
Those issues proved costly for Paul as he ended up suffering a double broken jaw. As a result, he will be out of action for a considerable period.
Despite suffering such a one-sided loss, Paul insisted the experience still proved valuable to him. ‘El Gallo’ has vowed to return to the ring once his jaw has healed.
However, it may be sometime until he is back in action. Admitting that he was in need of a break, Jake revealed plans to support his fiancée, speed skater Jutta Leerdam at the 2028 Olympics, as well as enjoying some snowboarding. The polarising fighter even hinted at possibly starting a family in the near future.
