Once Gervonta “Tank” Davis was dropped from the main event, Most Valuable Promotions knew they needed another big star, and they found one both literally and figuratively, as Jake Paul is set to face the former two-time unified heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua.
Initially, Jake Paul was scheduled to face 5-foot-5-inch 135-pound WBA lightweight world champion Gervonta Davis, but a legal issue caused Davis to be dropped from the bout. Now the 6-foot-1-inch 200-pound Paul will battle the 6 foot 6 inch 250-pound Anthony Joshua.
Jake Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) is a former YouTuber who made his professional boxing debut back in January 2020. Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) is an Olympic gold medalist and former world champion who has been consistently included in the elite heavyweight conversation for nearly a decade.
During the course of his boxing career, Jake Paul has fought YouTubers a NBA player, and past their prime MMA fighters. When the boxing community urged Paul to fight a certified boxer, Paul fought a 58-year-old Mike Tyson and a washed-up Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Due to his contributions as a promoter, Jake Paul is well respected, but when you analyze his boxing career, he receives a lot of criticism. Because of his announcement regarding fighting Anthony Joshua, fight fans have developed a newfound respect for Jake Paul, the boxer.
The Paul vs Joshua matchup is an official fight in which the boxers will wear 10-ounce gloves, and the bout is scheduled for eight three-minute rounds. The match is set to take place on Friday night, December 19, at the Kaseya Center in Miami, and will air live on Netflix.
During the course of his five-year boxing career, the legitimacy of Jake Paul’s fights has been in question, but in this particular bout, his opponent, Anthony Joshua, doesn’t seem like a man who’s willing to follow a script.
“I’m going to break his face, break his body up, and stomp all over him,” Joshua said. “That’s a fighter’s mentality. I know what’s in my heart. I’m here to prove I’m the better fighter.”
If there were a perfect time for an underdog to face former two-time unified heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua, that time would be now. In his last ring appearance, Joshua had an extremely rough night.
The then-defending IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois knocked Joshua down in the first, third, and fourth rounds. With 59 seconds left to go in the fifth round, Joshua went down for the fourth time. Joshua tried to get up, but he was unable to beat the ten-count.
When Anthony Joshua fought Daniel Dubois, Joshua was the victim of a thorough beating. The Dubois fight was the last time Joshua competed inside the ring. Now, after experiencing a fifteen-month layoff, the 36-year-old Anthony Joshua will face the 27-year-old Jake Paul.
Paul will have the upper hand in terms of speed and athleticism, but Joshua holds significant advantages in size, experience, power, and skills. With that being said, the question is, will Jake Paul make it out of the first round?
During the initial Jake Paul-Anthony Joshua face-off, fight fans got to see the stark size difference. Joshua looked menacing, while Paul seemed intimidated.
Jake Paul has made drastic improvements in his jab, setup for power shots, and lateral movement. Because of his lateral movement, Paul should be able to make it out of the first round.
Despite the bad loss to Dubois and the long layoff, it’s difficult to believe this fight will last longer than three rounds. Joshua will attempt to close the show early, but if Paul survives and goes the distance, it will definitely be a moral victory for Jake Paul.