Joshua makes his anticipated return to the ring later this month, and is expected to make easy work of the YouTuber-turned-boxer in Miami
Anthony Joshua is not just fighting for his own benefit against Jake Paul, but for the entire sport of boxing following the YouTuber-turned-boxer’s controversial fight with Mike Tyson.
That is according to UFC icon Jorge Masvidal, who believes the boxing faithful want to see the boxing novice brutally rendered unconscious. Paul – who has not fought since his points victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr back in June – made his professional debut back in 2020.
Since then, the 28-year-old has largely padded his record with wins over former UFC stars. With a professional record of 12-1, Paul has defeated the likes of Anderson Silva, Nate Diaz and Tyron Woodley. His sole defeat inside the squared-circle came against Tommy Fury back in 2023.
After working his way back up again, the world of boxing was left stunned by the confirmation of a stunning bout between Paul and Tyson. The 59-year-old had not fought a professional dust-up since his defeat to Kevin McBride back in 2005. Unsurprisingly, it was the younger and energetic fighter who got the win.
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.
In the build-up to the clash, fans were quick to condemn the showcase and were left concerned just days after the heavyweight bout when Tyson admitted he could not even remember snippets of the dust-up. Just over a year on, the boxing faithful have not forgotten what went down in Texas, and Masvidal is adamant that many want to see Joshua come away with the win later this month.
“If AJ goes out there and executes Jake Paul in under a minute, this won’t add anything or take anything away from AJ’s legacy. But it will add clout and numerous more bags that he’s gonna get, and the folklore tale, right? Because everybody wants to see Jake get whooped like that, especially for what he did to Mike Tyson,” he told Thunderpick. “He’s gonna be a folklore hero. It’s definitely gonna add to the folklore of AJ, for generations to come. These 14-year-old kids that adore Jake Paul, when they’re 28 years old, they’ll still be talking about AJ.”
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The world of boxing may get their wish after the Brit himself admitted he would not go easy on his upcoming foe. “It’s not a win for me if I just beat him; I need to knock him out,” he 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.”
When is Anthony Joshua vs Jake Paul?
Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul will clash in Miami on December 19, just six days before Christmas. The pair will likely walk to the ring at around 11pm local time which would be 4am in the UK. Fight times are usually set to benefit the American audience and are subject to change depending on how long the undercard takes to complete. The event is set to be shown live on Netflix.
