Jake Paul let slip private texts with Anthony Joshua as blockbuster fight announced
Jake Paul has already locked horns with Anthony Joshua in a war of words before their blockbuster bout was officially confirmed. Paul and Joshua are set to clash on a card dubbed Judgement Day next month.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer, who only turned professional five years ago, was scheduled to face lightweight champion Gervonta Davis this month in an exhibition but the contest was scrapped. The 28-year-old has wasted little time in revealing his next adversary. The American will square off against two-time unified WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight world champion Joshua on December 19 in a fight that will be broadcast on Netflix. Both combatants have already exchanged barbs ahead of their showdown, particularly through a text message conversation earlier this year which Paul revealed.
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“He [Joshua] DM’d me today like saying ‘LOL’ to one of my training clips and then I sent him a ‘LOL’ with a picture of him getting knocked out by Daniel Dubois,” Paul disclosed in June.
“And so I guess like we’re kind of s*** talking, behind the scenes a bit. But I have a lot of love for Anthony Joshua. I think this type of stuff is funny and he’s a great guy.”
Both pugilists are confident ahead of what promises to be a captivating encounter, with Paul boasting he’ll send Joshua to sleep. Paul declared: “This isn’t an AI simulation. This is Judgment Day. A professional heavyweight fight against an elite world champion in his prime.
“When I beat Anthony Joshua, every doubt disappears, and no one can deny me the opportunity to fight for a world title. To all my haters, this is what you wanted. To the people of the United Kingdom, I am sorry. On Friday, December 19, under the lights in Miami, live globally only on Netflix, the torch gets passed and Britain’s Goliath gets put to sleep.”
Joshua is just as confident. The last time the Brit faced an opponent who didn’t have extensive boxing experience, he savagely knocked out former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia. AJ declared: “Jake or anyone can get this work. No mercy. I took some time out and I’m coming back with a mega show. It’s a big opportunity for me.
“Whether you like it or not, I’m here to do massive numbers, have big fights and break every record whilst keeping cool, calm and collected. Mark my words, you’ll see a lot more fighters take these opportunities in the future. I’m about to break the internet over Jake Paul’s face.”
Joshua stands at 6ft 6in and typically weighs 18 stone. This represents a substantial four stone advantage over Paul, who usually competes at 14st 4lb. Paul is also five inches shorter. Nakisa Bidarian, who co-founded the promotional company MVP with Paul, remains just as bullish as his partner, despite the enormous disparity in height and weight.
“Everyone laughed when Jake Paul said in March that he wanted to fight AJ in 2026,” declared Bidarian, “Well, plans changed, and in under two weeks, MVP and Netflix have made one of the biggest fights of all time. Now, as only Jake Paul could and would do, he’s fighting one of the most fearsome boxers in the world. Joshua has every advantage in this fight, except one – the delusional confidence of Jake Paul, and if anyone can shock the world, it’s him.”
