When asking boxing experts about what to expect from Jake Paul-Anthony Joshua on Friday, one thing is certain: people have strong opinions
Paul will move up to heavyweight and face the 2012 Olympic gold medalist, a former unified heavyweight titleholder, Joshua of Walford, England, at the Kaseya Center in Miami. The eight-round bout will stream on Netflix.
The bout has even more of a shock value than what we have grown accustomed to in a typical Paul fight. Paul, who holds a record of 12-1 (7 KOs), is going from fighting a lightweight Gervonta Davis to facing a heavyweight a month later, after the bout with Davis was canceled. That led to the bout with the 36-year-old Joshua. Paul, 28, has been a force in boxing, cultivating mostly pay-per-view match-ups that always bring some level of intrigue. Paul’s mastery of marketing mirrors the way social media works – ridiculous notions in posts become things people can’t stop talking about. This was evidenced last year when he faced Mike Tyson, a boxing legend, who was in his late 50s at the time of the fight. Though many favored Paul to win, which he did, people couldn’t help but wonder if Tyson still had it. Now, in this fight, the intrigue is: what will happen? Even, will Paul get knocked out?
The wide variety of people BoxingScene spoke to shows the level of interest in the bout. It also shows how this fight crosses over into so many different people’s lives.
Esteemed Hall of Fame broadcaster Al Bernstein vividly set the stage for the bout.
“It is the full Jake Paul conundrum on display,” Bernstein told BoxingScene. “It is an interesting dichotomy of the problematic nature of Jake Paul and the things he has done that are good for boxing.”
The good being Paul, bringing world-class women’s boxing to the masses. Alycia Baumgardner will make a unified title defense at junior lightweight against Leila Beaudoin, Cherneka Johnson will defend her women’s bantamweight titles against unbeaten Amanda Galle, and Yokasta Valle will defend her women’s strawweight title against Yadira Bustillos. All relevant fights that will be accessible for the average fight fan. Along with that, Paul and MVP have helped Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano have their final fight in their trilogy, inevitably top a Netflix card in July.
“All the things Jake Paul has done as a promoter that are really good,” Bernstein said. “There are two companies that are doing good for women’s boxing: MVP and Salita Promotions; they have kind of taken over for Matchroom, who started the whole thing.”
Bernstein then framed the fight itself.
“It seems on the surface to be absurd, right?” Bernstein said. “Going from fighting a lightweight to fighting a heavyweight. In both cases, fighting fighters with a much higher experience level, one is way too little, and the other one is way too big.”
Mike Perry, one of the best bare-knuckle boxers around, has faced Jake Paul. He fought him last year in July. Paul stopped him.
Perry gave his insight.
“I feel like I wouldn't fight Anthony Joshua,” Perry told BoxingScene. “I hate to say someone is too big, because I have skills and abilities.
“Jake is a wild guy for doing this fight,” Perry said. “Size in fights seems to matter a lot.”
Then, we have heavyweight Chase DeMoor, who is fighting Andrew Tate on Saturday in Dubai. The bout tops a Misfits Boxing PPV card, which is one of the leading brands in crossover/influencer boxing. He has a different take.
“I think people underestimate Jake Paul,” DeMoor told BoxingScene. “He’s a smart businessman and is surrounded by some of the best trainers and facilities in the world. He has nothing to lose here and everything to gain. I think Jake wins on points.”
Then we asked boxers.
Former two-time titleholder Cornelius “K9” Bundrage knows Jake Paul’s coach, Third Chambers, well. Chambers cornered Bundrage for his title win against Carlos Molina. Bundrage also sparred with J’Leon Love, who has been involved in Paul's training for years.
“I’m rooting for Paul, but in reality, this is an unbelievable fight,” Bundrage said. “If Jake Paul wins, it’s a bigger upset than James “Buster” Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson.”
Heavyweight prospect Pryce Taylor fights the next day in Detroit against Michael Coffie. Taylor, who holds a record of 9-0 (6 KOs), believes that Paul has a shot. He gave his view of what Paul could be thinking heading into the match-up.
“Anthony Joshua is susceptible to getting dropped when he gets hit on the top of the head,” Taylor said. “Joshua’s legs aren’t strong enough to keep him up. So, I think Jake Paul is trying to take advantage of that.”
Norman Neely is a heavyweight contender. The type of fighter who would traditionally get the chance to challenge Joshua, 28-4 (25 KOs), in a comeback fight after Joshua suffered a devastating loss to Daniel Dubois last year. Neely is 16-1 (11 KOs), and on a three-fight win streak since being upset by Rydell Booker in 2022.
“Interesting one that can’t be ignored…besides him being a social media expert, it can’t be denied the work he’s actually putting in for boxing,” Neely told BoxingScene. “It should be a devastating performance from Joshua… going against a social media king, but yet, a person who’s striving to learn and get better at the sport, anything can happen.”
Meanwhile, boxing trainers are split on their opinions.
“I think Joshua wins early,” Bobby Benton, the trainer of O’Shaquie Foster, told BoxingScene. “I hope not, because I like Jake Paul. I think he is good for boxing. I root for a guy who's willing to take chances.”
“I don’t see how Jake Paul can win,” John Pullman, trainer of various fighters in Los Angeles, told BoxingScene. “I respect him for taking the fight. It takes courage.”
Drew Mejia trains his son, Abel, an up-and-comer signed to 360 Promotions. Mejia prides himself on his film study and is meticulous in his detail-oriented approach when looking at opponents.
“If you asked me this question about three years ago, no doubt, Anthony Joshua would dominate Jake Paul,” Mejia said. “Not today. The biggest thing about boxing fans is they only remember the success of fighters at their pinnacle,” Mejia continued. “Unfortunately, Anthony Joshua is at the end of his career. Jake Paul has the youth and hunger to be successful.”
No matter how you feel about the bout. The one thing everyone can agree on is that it will be interesting, and people will watch it to see what it will look like. Many casual observers who don’t typically watch boxing and have access to Netflix will more than likely tune in.
“It is going to be a crazy spectacle,” Perry said. “It is a fight the fans will tune in for, because everyone is wondering.”
