British boxer Anthony Joshua says boxing needs to be saved from newcomers and is happy that the task has fallen to him, as the former world heavyweight champion prepares to fight YouTube star and now boxer Jake Paul in Miami on December 19.
The fight, in which former two-time absolute heavyweight champion pits the social media star against, has attracted her share of critics. Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder dismissed it as “just a money grab”, while some of Joshua’s previous opponents have expressed concern about relative newcomer Paul’s health in the ring against one of the world’s strongest boxers.
Joshua is no stranger to these crossover fights, he knocked out the former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou after just two rounds in March 2024. The London 2012 Olympic gold medalist told Reuters he was targeting an impressive victory against Paul.
I was invited from my break to yes I save boxing againJoshua said, referring to his year out of the ring after losing his last fight to Daniel Dubois via fifth-round stoppage.
I am a savior. I saved boxing from Ngannou, and now I have to save boxing from Jake PaulJoshua added, embracing the biblical symbolism of his last name.
Since first entering the ring in 2020, Paul collected 12 victories and one loss with seven wins by knockout. In that time, the former YouTube prankster and Disney Channel star has fought and defeated other influencers, basketball star Nate Robinson and a host of MMA champions, including Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley.
That ratio pales in comparison to Joshua, who fought some of the biggest heavyweight champions in Wladimir Klitschko and Oleksandr Usyk.
I have to take positive things out of this – I’m going home earlyJoshua joked, adding that it’s not his responsibility to look after Paul’s well-being in the eight-round bout.
This is boxing. I can’t go in there thinking about him. I will think of myself, and he would do the same to me if he could. Will this fight damage the integrity of the sport? I understand that from the point of view of boxing puritans, fights like this should not happenthe 36-year-old explained.
Prize fund of 50 million dollars guaranteed plus bonuses for each fighter, it’s a lucrative opportunity, and the spectacle will become only the second boxing event to be streamed live on Netflix.
The first fight organized by the streaming giant was Paul’s controversial victory over the great Mike Tyson last year. At the time of that fight, aged 58, Tyson had been out of the ring for almost two decades and faced the then 27-year-old Paul after battling sciatica and even occasionally using a wheelchair.
Finally, Joshua said that he is not ruling out the possibility of persuading former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury to come out of retirement to finally deliver the mega-fight that boxing enthusiasts have been waiting for for more than a decade.
It depends on Fury. I signed a contract to fight him several times. I don’t want to get my hopes up and be disappointed again.
(Hina | Photo: Anthony Joshua / Facebook)
