MIAMI (AP) — Jake Paul is boldly predicting his brand will not be tarnished by his latest boxing venture.
In fact, the YouTuber-turned-boxer expects his career to flourish, predicting that the outcome of his upcoming fight against recent world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will rival Buster Douglas' knockout victory over Mike Tyson in nasty proportions.
Paul even predicts that the fight will end with a knockout victory in the fifth round.
Those are bold words considering Paul won't have to fight a long-retired champion, a former UFC belt holder, former NBA players or a fighter who's lost 50 pounds.
Many in the boxing world are wondering why the Paul-Joshua fight was scheduled for December 19th at the Casey Center in Miami. Paul and Joshua, a two-time top division champion, met on Friday to officially announce the planned eight-round fight, which will be shown on Netflix.
“I’m here to go out and surprise the world,” Paul said. “I know what I'm capable of. People say, “Oh, he's crazy!” I got where I am today thanks to crazy optimism. Nobody thinks I'll win, so join the list and prepare to be surprised.”
Paul has a 12-1 record in his five-year boxing career. His fight schedule is highlighted by an eight-round decision victory over the 58-year-old Tyson in a tournament that drew 72,300 to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
At 28, Paul also has victories over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., as well as retired UFC fighters Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz. In the second fight, Paul defeated former NBA player Nate Robinson in two rounds.
But Joshua offers a much more different and impressive challenge. Admittedly, Joshua's aura of invincibility has been erased by back-to-back decision defeats to defending champion Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022, as well as a fifth-round knockout failure against compatriot Daniel Dubois last year.
But Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) has an arsenal of punches that produce knockout victories. The most interesting thing about the fight would be to see how Paul, who has fought primarily at 200 pounds in the majority of his fights, dodges a punch that could ruin his dream.
“He’s one of the best heavyweights of all time,” Paul said. “But I think it’s often harder for a heavyweight to fight a smaller guy because of the difference in speed, foot speed and angles. All this power is great. I just need to avoid this blow. I think I can do this. I know I can take it apart and score points.”
This will be Joshua's first fight since his loss to Dubois in September 2024. Joshua, 36, also underwent elbow surgery while away from the ring.
“You can't underestimate anyone. I will take this seriously,” Joshua said. “After a year of absence, I rearranged a lot in my life. I regained my focus and directed it to where it needed to be.”
Joshua acknowledged that anything short of a quick knockout win would be seen as further weakening his position among the elite heavyweights.
“I saw it. I heard it,” Joshua said. “As I respectfully told Jake, I need to cut it. I need to break him and hurt him. That's what we do.”
Paul was originally scheduled to face lightweight champion Gervonta Davis at the Nov. 14 exhibition at the Kasey Center. But the event was canceled after a civil lawsuit filed against Davis by a former girlfriend included charges of aggravated assault, false imprisonment and kidnapping.
“Joshua was always in the plan after Gervonta,” Paul said. “We just started talking to members of his team.”
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