Sergio Mora says Jake Paul won’t make it past the first round unless Anthony Joshua chooses to toy with him on December 19th.
Joshua’s Decline Factor
Mora believes that Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) “shouldn’t stand a chance”. Of course, he’s overlooking how much the 36-year-old Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) has declined due to age, ringwear, and inactivity.
It’s not the Joshua from a decade ago that Paul will be fighting on December 19th on Netflix. It’s the one that was knocked out in five rounds by the flawed Daniel Dubois in September 2024. AJ has been licking his emotional and physical wounds for the last 15 months.
AJ’s “Toy With Him” Option
“It shouldn’t get past the first round. But if he wants to go some rounds and make it more of an event, I can see AJ toying with him a little bit,” said Sergio Mora to Chris Mannix’s YouTube channel. “Jake Paul shouldn’t stand a chance in this fight. He should be beaten down into submission in the first round.”
Joshua couldn’t knock out Otto Wallin in the first round, and that was two years ago in 2023. Wallin is a bottom-tier level heavyweight, who 41-year-old journeyman Derek Chisora recently beat last February.
The sparring help that Jake has gotten from Frank Sanchez, Lawrence Okolie, and Jared Anderson will help him a lot in this fight. These are younger fighters than Joshua, and in Sanchez’s case, faster.
Paul’s Survival Plan
“It’ll make a difference but not much,” said Mora about Jake Paul getting top-notch sparring partners to prepare him for Joshua. “He has the resources to advance faster than most. To have those names for a championship-level fight, Jake Paul has to be shelling out some big money.”
Paul isn’t likely to shell up in front of Joshua because he would know that if he does this, he’d get flurried on. He’s not going to make a mistake like that againt a big puncher like AJ.
“Not only that, but big transportation, big money in lodging, food, and travel, and all that equipment. He has the resources to do it. So congratulations to Jake Paul. He can advance faster than most,” said Mora.