Next Friday, Anthony Joshua faces Jake Paul in a controversial heavyweight clash in Miami.
YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul has been written off by the masses throughout his professional boxing career, with fans – and even some high-profile names in the sport – suggesting his fights are rigged, scripted or feature conditions for opponents not to give 100%. Paul’s promotional company, MVP, responded in the strongest terms, threatening legal action and emphasizing that such actions constitute a federal crime.
Even so, if Paul were to record a Buster Douglas-style upset in Miami, he would no doubt face the same thing online.
In an interview with TMZ Sports, Joshua said he “understands those concerns” but assured his fans that his fight, as well as all the previous ones, was genuine.
“I understand their concerns, but that’s the thing with Jake, they have to start believing in him. They don’t believe in him because they’re wondering, ‘How is he going to beat these guys?’
“I think they [the fans] I can’t understand how he beat Anderson Silva, how did he beat Nate Diaz? How did he beat Mike Tyson?
“I’m telling you, there’s no stipulation in the contract where I have to go easy on him.”
Paul-Joshua will be an eight-round affair with 10-ounce gloves and will be available to watch live on Netflix with a standard subscription. Joshua said he was seeking to bring about a shutdown as quickly as possible, which many fear could cause serious damage.
