Anthony Joshua plans to treat Jake Paul like any other opponent, and that could spell trouble for “The Problem Child.”
Joshua and Paul face off in a boxing match on Friday at Kaseya Center in Miami, and the expectation is that Joshua, a two-time unified heavyweight champion, will make short work of Paul, a YouTube star who only committed to fighting in 2020. Paul, for his part, expects to finish Joshua inside the distance.
Given the wide gap in competitive experience, Joshua was asked at a media scrum on Tuesday if he’s considering going easy on Paul compared to the high-level heavyweights he’s faced in the past. Joshua insists he’s looking for the knockout.
“Zero part of me,” Joshua said. “And it’s not even that it’s Jake, it’s just—You know, I was actually looking at myself today. I’m a very respectful guy, brought up by a good family, but if I can kill you, I will kill you. That’s just how I am. This is just the job I do, so let’s go.”
Friday’s bout airs on Netflix, like Paul’s November 2024 fight with Mike Tyson that set numerous viewership records. While Jake vs. Joshua is unlikely to reach those heights, the streaming service’s massive subscription base should draw a wide casual audience, some of whom might be watching Paul or Joshua fight for the first time.
Again, Joshua is telling himself to keep the same mindset he always does, regardless of the unique circumstances.
“If I’m going to be honest with you, you remember we’ve done unifications, heavyweight title fights, Saudi, America, second time here, Wembley, Cardiff, Tottenham, they’ve been big,” Joshua said. “They’ve been big. So this is just like another day at the office, but it’s good.
“Listen, the focus is to win. My focus is to focus on training. I’m not spending my time—I don’t see what’s going on, I just train. You’ve got to look at it from a fighter’s point of view. I’m just training and focusing on the fight.”
Joshua also wants to dismiss the notion that he’s simply taking this fight as a side project while he plans the final few fights of his career, which could include a long-anticipated matchup with fellow British star Tyson Fury. He welcomes the added attention a matchup with Paul brings, but his goals remain the same: Maintain his reputation as an elite boxer and get paid well to do it.
“Boxing is not such a fun sport,” Joshua said. “You can’t play boxing, so it’s not so fun if I’m honest, but it was just a great opportunity to get back in the ring and get back to big-time business. … People are talking about this fight, and that’s the whole point of boxing is to make big noise, be in big fights, and that’s exactly what this opportunity brings, so it wasn’t so much just for the aspect of let’s get back, let’s have a bit of fun. It was let’s make some noise, let’s get back at the front of the queue, at the front of the race, and show people why we are the leading fighters in the world, and we’re the best promotional team in the world, and the best training team in the world. So yeah, we’re at the front again, and Dec. 19 will prove why.”
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