The stakes are high and the odds have never been greater against Jake Paul as he prepares to face Anthony Joshua in Miami on Friday night.
‘The Problem Child’ has had doubters ever since he began his professional boxing career back in 2020, and there are millions of them queueing up to say ‘I told you so’ ahead of his showdown with a two-time world heavyweight champion.
Paul is a 6/1 underdog with the oddsmakers heading into the big blockbuster on Netflix (free to existing subscribers) on Friday, but that in no way represents the size of his task.
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The gulf in class and sheer phsyical stature between these two men is enormous. AJ has a 28-4 pro record which includes a string of the best heavyweights of this generation. Paul’s 12-1 pro ledger is a mixed bag of washed-up fighters and celebrity.
Paul’s sole defeat so far was against a Fury – but not elite heavyweight Tyson Fury. Instead he dropped a decision to Tommy Fury – he of ‘Love Island’ fame.
This is such a mismatch that many experts fear for Paul’s physical safety – remember what Joshua did to former UFC king Francis Ngannou when they met back in March 2024?
Paul though says the doubters have it wrong and he will shock the world on Friday night (ring walks 10.30pm Eastern, 3.30am Saturday in the UK).
Jake Paul on the doubters
When asked about the people who believe his fights, and his wins, so far are not real, he responded: “I give them a cease and desist letter in their email for lying on my name. Then the lawsuit’s coming right after because these people won’t stop lying. I honestly take it as a compliment, but people need to shut the fuck up. Deontay Wilder, he’s been hit a lot by Tyson Fury, so he’s clearly not the smartest guy, but there’s nothing in the contract. AJ can attest to it. We’re going to war and that’s the end of the day that all my fights have been like.”
There is much at stake for Joshua also on Friday night – he has a two-fight deal with Saudi lined up for 2026 which is reportedly worth north of £100million. It should include that long-awaited showdown with Tyson Fury in September at Wembley Stadium.
So that is a big bag for AJ to fumble, and Paul says the Brit is right to take him very very seriously this week.
“Yeah, absolutely. And rightfully so. It’s smart on his part, but I believe he’s locked in and knows that this could potentially be the biggest loss and will be the biggest loss of his career. He has so much to lose in this fight.
“That’s what I plan on bringing to the table is the strategy behind this. I’ve got him in the corner and I know that those nerves are going to kick in once he sees what I can do to him.”
The massive size difference between the two men was illustrated once again at Wednesday’s final press conference, while the weigh-in will make that difference official later today (Thursday). Joshua appears very confident, and is talking a chilling game, but Paul is not worried by that.
‘Problem Child’ ready for war
He said: “Let’s fucking go, bro. Let’s put on a show for the fans. Let’s go to war. Men have done crazier things throughout human history. This is the modern day gladiator sport. This is what we’re here to do is fuck each other up and I’m ready.
“I want his hardest punches. I want there to be no excuses when it’s all said and done, and let’s fucking kill each other.”
While Paul, somehow, is only at 6/1 odds right now, he clearly knows that is wrong as he stresses that a win on Friday would be the biggest upset in sports history.
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“Yeah, 100%. This is the Giants vs the Patriots 2007. I mean, the list goes on, but the odds are stacked against me. There’s no sporting teams in history that have gone together where it’s this big of a difference in terms of skill, experience, resume, height, weight, etc. So this is going to be the biggest upset in the history of sports and you guys get to witness it.”
A new era for boxing?
At the age of 36, Joshua is eight years old than Jake, but ‘The Problem Child’ does not believe this is a passing of the torch moment for boxing. He says that torch was already passed.
“Not really. No… I think no one’s done more for the sport of boxing in the past decade than myself. So I think if people really cared about boxing, they’d want me to win.
“But I see where the angle that they’re coming from is that he’s the traditional boxer, has been doing it his whole life, etc. But I think that I’m more important for the sport of boxing. So if they actually cared about the sport, they would want me to win.”
