Is Jake Paul the unluckiest fighter in boxing?

History might suggest so. First, Canelo Alvarez publicly entertained Paul’s challenge, only to pivot and sign a multi-fight deal with Turki Alalshikh. Then came the Gervonta Davis saga. Paul secured a massive matchup with ‘Tank.’ But the bout collapsed after Davis faced legal issues following a lawsuit from his ex-girlfriend. Now, Anthony Joshua has entered the picture.

Paul and Joshua are scheduled to meet on December 19 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, live on Netflix. Unlike the Davis matchup, this one is a full professional boxing bout at heavyweight—a fight the public is collectively excited about. But trouble may be brewing again. Reports suggest that ‘The Problem Child’ has suffered an injury, casting doubt on whether the fight will go ahead with less than two weeks to go.

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Jake Paul suffered an injury during sparring with a former world champion

The 28-year-old recently appeared on a KICK livestream with Adin Ross, where ‘El Gallo’ showed up sporting a noticeably swollen black eye. When Ross asked about it, Paul explained the story behind the injury. “I’m sparring a bunch of world champion heavyweights,” Paul told Ross during the stream. “I think that I think Lawrence Okolie did that to me. He’s like 6’6″, 270.”

Okolie, of course, is a former WBO cruiserweight and the WBC bridgerweight champion. He also currently holds the WBC Silver heavyweight title. Along with ‘The Sauce,’ Paul has previously revealed that he brought in Jared Anderson and Frank Sanchez to help prepare for the Anthony Joshua fight. Reagrdless, later in the stream, Paul shared another detail.

He currently weighs 215 pounds and plans to come in between 218 and 220 pounds on fight night. For comparison, Anthony Joshua typically weighs around 250 pounds for his bouts. This size gap led Jake Paul to conclude the matchup will be a “pretty wild fight.” Paul is coming off a unanimous decision win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. earlier this year at cruiserweight.

Meanwhile, Joshua entered the bout following a fifth-round stoppage loss to Daniel Dubois in late 2024. Coming back to Okolie, he previously reflected on sparring with Jake Paul.

Lawrence Okolie claims he wants to give Paul a fighting chance

Lawrence Okolie says his decision to join Jake Paul’s Miami fight camp isn’t about clout. Rather, it’s about giving the YouTuber-turned-boxer a fighting chance before he steps in against Anthony Joshua. Okolie revealed that he felt compelled to help Paul prepare for a world-class heavyweight.

“I want to go help Jake Paul, give him a chance. I want to go out there to Puerto Rico,” he told ESPN. More importantly, he doesn’t want Paul to walk blindly into danger. “What I don’t want to happen to him is he gets absolutely destroyed in a round or whatever if AJ turns it on,” Okolie added.

Instead, his goal is to give Paul a realistic feel of elite heavyweight power and pressure. “I want him to have a decent feeling of what it’s like to be in there with a world-class heavyweight beforehand,” he said.

It appears Jake Paul is doing everything he can and more for the Anthony Joshua fight. However, he might want to dial it down a little because he doesn’t exactly have the best history with cancelled fights.

Jake Paul–Anthony Joshua Fight Sparks Claims of Secret Agreement From Top Boxing Insider

The leap from a lightweight to a heavyweight champion seems bold for Jake Paul, but for many boxing insiders, it’s not bravery, all they see is a red flag

The Jake Paul and Gervonta Davis matchup had appeared too far-fetched for many. As a cruiserweight contender, a fight against a heavyweight sounded more reasonable. Still, now that the fight is just around the corner, concerns have started to emerge. Some worry about the damage Anthony Joshua could potentially inflict on Paul. But a few believe the fight may not yield such an outcome. One analyst is certain that there is an ‘undisclosed agreement’ between the two fighters.

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Questions linger over the AJ-Jake Paul showdown

Former welterweight titleholder and Hall of Fame trainer and analyst Barry McGuigan suspects the Jake Paul-AJ fight comes with “some sort of caveat.” The very idea of Joshua, who only a year ago knocked out former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, matched against Paul, whose lone loss came at the hands of a below-par boxer, Tommy Fury, perplexes him.

“So, how is Jake Paul going to get through Joshua?” He asked, calling it ‘ridiculous’ to think that no agreement exists. Considering the English heavyweight’s ability to knock out opponents cold, he sounded concerned about how the fight might end for the Cleveland native.

The situation immediately brought to mind last year’s fight against 58-year-old Mike Tyson. McGuigan claimed that the boxing legend, despite his advanced age, took it easy on Jake Paul. So most fans could likely expect something similar next weekend at the Kaseya Center. But McGuigan made it clear: by sharing his concerns, he doesn’t mean any disrespect toward Paul. He’s simply worried about the former Disney star’s safety. “That’s why it’s hard to believe there isn’t some undisclosed agreement,” he stated during the interview with Betway.

He added, “If Joshua hits him like he hit Francis Ngannou, he’ll knock him into next week. That’s what I can’t get my head around.” But at the end of the day, win or lose, Jake Paul will only benefit from the fight. Can the same be said for Joshua?

Anthony Joshua has everything to lose

To be fair, it’s not Barry McGuigan alone who has expressed such concerns. With nearly 90% of his opponents touching the canvas, Joshua, despite recent setbacks and injuries, remains one of boxing’s foremost finishers.

There’s little reason to believe he would restrain himself in a fight with someone like Jake Paul, who, barring the exception of Tommy Fury, has so far fought only retired or semi-retired fighters.

If anything, the pressure is on AJ to repeat the performance he delivered against Ngannou. Considering he is in the final stretch of his career, a matchup against British rival Tyson Fury could be his swan song. A fight against Paul could be a step toward that.

However, a problem lingers. What happens if the American cruiserweight manages to extend him beyond the second round? That could pose a serious threat to AJ’s reputation and prospects. Naturally, he will step in with the sole mindset of knocking down Jake Paul at the earliest opportunity.

Any other outcome would not only raise doubts, just as Barry McGuigan and several others have suggested, but would also prove detrimental to AJ’s legacy.

Anthony Joshua has hit 243.8 lbs — his lowest in nearly a decade — ahead of blockbuster fight with Jake Paul.

Joshua is entering fight week significantly lighter than expected, signaling a major tactical shift for the former unified heavyweight champion’s showdown.

AJ confirmed his weigh-in via social media: “They must have forgot. I’m used to dealing with big weights & scales. 243.8lbs 🫡”

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Weighing under 244 lbs with over a fortnight of camp left marks a dramatic drop from the 252–255 lb range he carried in previous outings.

The reduction is part of a deliberate strategy prioritizing speed, agility, and tactical advantage over sheer size, signaling a mobility-first approach against Jake Paul.

Anthony Joshua’s Weight Cut
Promoter Eddie Hearn revealed that MVP Promotions had been told Joshua weighed more than he actually did — turning the weight cut into both a psychological and strategic tool.

Hearn said: “They said: ‘The only thing is that Jake will weigh about 220 pounds and we want AJ to come down in weight.’ He’s a heavyweight and hasn’t cut weight before. They said: ‘Look, we’re not being funny, and it’s not that we need an advantage, but we need you to have some disadvantage.’” – If you use these WBN quotes, please link back to the source: https://www.worldboxingnews.com/joshua-paul-243-8-lbs-strategy/

Joshua hasn’t been this lean since the Andy Ruiz rematch in 2019, when he weighed 237 lbs and boxed on his toes for 12 disciplined rounds. His current approach is focused on speed and agility, designed to counter Jake Paul, the cruiserweight novice whose bold “shock the world” claims have drawn widespread skepticism.

We understands that shedding extra pounds is a deliberate tactic to disrupt Paul’s confidence, sharpen Joshua’s reactions, and prevent him from being drawn into risky single-shot exchanges that favor smaller, explosive punchers.

Fight-week scrutiny will peak at the public weigh-in on December 18, where the final number will reveal whether Joshua is undergoing a tactical reinvention or fine-tuning for a showcase.

Harvey vs. Cervantes Opens Netflix Main Card
Most Valuable Promotions confirmed rising US Olympian Jahmal Harvey (1-0, 1 KO) will open the main card against unbeaten Kevin Cervantes (5-0, 5 KOs) in a 130-lb super featherweight clash. Harvey’s destructive debut has placed him among America’s hottest prospects, and MVP is positioning him for a breakout moment on a global stage.

Fight Week Schedule
Tuesday, Dec. 16 – Open Workouts + Showcase Bouts
LIV at Fontainebleau Miami Beach hosts open workouts plus three sanctioned fights:
• Luan Medeiros vs. Hugo Macias (135 lbs)
• Shannon Courtenay vs. Jessica Radtke Maltez (118 lbs)
• Jocelyn Camarillo vs. Yazmin Martinez Jimenez (108 lbs)

Wednesday, Dec. 17 – Final Press Conference
Fillmore Miami Beach, 6 p.m. ET.

Thursday, Dec. 18 – Public Weigh-In
Same venue, 6 p.m. ET — all eyes will shift to Joshua’s number.

Friday, Dec. 19 – Fight Night
Prelims on MVP’s YouTube; main card live worldwide only on Netflix.

Joshua’s lean frame signals complete focus — a disciplined approach to a matchup that continues to generate raised eyebrows across the boxing world.

With the psychological and tactical stakes of this weight cut now public, his weight story may well define how this fight is remembered.

Anthony Joshua has looked spent and disengaged throughout the build-up to his fight against Jake Paul on December 19th at the Kaseya Center in Miami.

I’ve seen this before from fighters, especially with the older ones who assume that they’re going to win. They aren’t mentally there and walk into a disaster.

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That Empty AJ Stare Returns

He had the same detached look heading into his first fight with Andy Ruiz Jr. on June 1, 2019, and boy, did that turn out bad. Ruiz knocked AJ out in seven rounds.

Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) believes what his promoter Eddie Hearn and all the backslappers have been telling him: that this is going to be a piece of cake against the former YouTuber Paul (12-1, 7 KOs).

They’ve been telling Joshua how easy this is going to be, and he’s believing them. He’s totally forgotten about what happened to him last year against Daniel Dubois in his fifth-round knockout loss.

He’s obviously not thinking about that loss to Ruiz, is he?

“I just don’t believe he’s going to be in the ring with Joshua with 10-oz gloves on,” said Tony Bellew to iFL TV about Jake Paul being overmatched against Anthony Joshua. “When he touches him for the first time with 10-oz gloves on, he’s going to get the fright of his life.

Bellew’s False Confidence

The commentator Bellew is a textbook example of the many people who have made Joshua think this is going to be an easy fight for him.

They still think AJ is the young, spry fighter he was when he rolled off the assembly line in 2013, when he first turned pro. He’s old now, at 36, and physically, he could be a lot older due to the punishment he’s absorbed.

Bellew doesn’t want to believe that Joshua is heading toward a loss. After all, he’s a friend, and can’t accept that AJ got old on him and is about to get taken down by a young, inexperienced newcomer Paul.

The build-up to Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua has been full of heated debates and endless questions surrounding the YouTuber-turned-boxer and whether he can realistically trouble the former unified heavyweight champion.

It’s a match-up not a soul in the boxing world would have expected a few years ago, and yet, here we are, approaching a 19th of December showdown that has captured everyone’s attention for one very simple reason.

Joshua’s boxing CV speaks for itself. With 32 professional bouts and a host of world titles, Olympic medals, and knockouts, it’s understandable that the 6’6″ fighter is the clear favourite. But despite AJ’s dominance over the years, only three fighters on Earth can say they have beaten him cleanly in the ring.

Jake Paul Receives Advice From an Anthony Joshua Conqueror

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Three men, three very different methods, but only one of them has produced the boxing blueprint that could actually apply to Jake. This blueprint brought us to an unlikely moment in Los Angeles.

While giving back at the New Village Girls Academy Turkey Drive, a cause close to him as families struggle through the SNAP/EBT crisis, one of the men that stood tall over Joshua was asked about the upcoming Paul vs AJ bout. What followed certainly wasn’t trash talk, a joke, or even criticism. It was real, genuine advice.

Advice from a man who shook the boxing world to its core in 2019 at Madison Square Garden. From the fighter who handed Joshua his first professional loss via TKO in the seventh round, in one of the greatest upsets across all sports. This advice, he believes, could give the YouTuber a real shot at doing the same.

At first, he kept it simple. He praised Paul’s dedication and insisted that people underestimate him. He suggested that fearlessness, as opposed to boxing technique, would be vital for Paul once the bell rings.

But on top of that, he revealed the real key to matching the upset. The thing Paul needs to do to transform what feels like a giant payday into a boxing shock.

What Andy Ruiz Jr Has Said About Paul vs Joshua

“Just get him with the right hand,” said Andy Ruiz Jr.

Ruiz didn’t dress it up. It wasn’t complicated.

Ruiz Jr, of all fighters, will know how difficult Joshua’s size, power, and reach are to manage in a sanctioned fight, but he will also know that Joshua has been rocked before, by fast and confident counter-blows. He knows that because he has executed them.

As simple as it sounds, coming from the man who toppled Joshua at the height of his career is the closest thing that Jake Paul has as a reference study to figure out a way to beat Joshua in the US.

If Jake Paul wants any hope of shocking the world, Ruiz Jr made it clear. One right hand.

Joe Rogan believes the clause Jake Paul put in Anthony Joshua’s contract will badly backfire

Jake Paul has been told he made a massive mistake while negotiating his next fight.

The YouTuber-turned-boxer is set to face former two-time heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua in Miami, Florida, on December 19.

To make the biggest mismatch of 2025 a little bit fairer, Jake Paul has put a weight limit on ‘AJ’.

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The British knockout artist cannot tip the scales at more than 245lbs the day before the fight – but there’s no rehydration clause, and he could weigh much more on the night.

Joe Rogan’s weight worry

Joe Rogan thinks Jake Paul has made a mistake by putting a weight limit on Anthony Joshua.

The UFC commentator says it will just force the heavyweight beast to enter the fight in terrific shape.

As a result, Joshua will be an even more dangerous opponent than he already was for Logan Paul’s brother.

“Listen, kids, it ain’t gonna matter,” Rogan said about the Paul vs Joshua weight limit.

“There’s not a chance that Anthony Joshua is not going to just lose the weight beforehand.

“He’s not gonna come in drained. What he’s going to do is just do extra cardio, and that’s just gonna make him more dangerous.

“He’s gonna be terrifying.”

Joe Rogan’s warning to Jake Paul

Joe Rogan warned Jake Paul that he’s ‘angered’ Anthony Joshua in his first reaction to the Netflix fight.

The popular podcaster added: He’s gonna be very angry that Jake Paul wants to fight him. Very upset that this YouTuber….

“That right hand, if it hits you, you are f—-!

“This is a giant, Olympic gold medalist heavyweight…one-punch nuclear power.

“He’s a specialist at putting knuckles through your f—- brain, and that’s what he’s gonna try to do to Jake Paul.”

Jake Paul knew Anthony Joshua was willing to fight the YouTuber-turned-boxer after the pair shared a brief phone call earlier this year.

Back in March, Paul stunned the world of boxing after he called for a fight with the two-time heavyweight world champion – just four months after his victory over Mike Tyson. “I want to fight Anthony Joshua because I know I will f***ing beat Anthony Joshua’s ass,” he said on his YouTube show BS with Jake Paul. “He doesn’t have a chin and he has no skill and he’s stiff. I love you, Anthony, we’re friends and all this s*** but I want to fight you. I will beat Canelo, I will beat a lot of f***ing people.”

‘AJ’ responded by phoning the 28-year-old and both fighters ended up posting images of the phone call with the caption ‘2026,’ hinting at a potential clash. Despite verbally agreeing to a dust-up, their fight will come a lot sooner than people think after it was confirmed that the two fighters will trade leather on December 19 in Miami.

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Eight months after both men exchanged words over the phone, Paul has finally revealed exactly what was said on the call. “No, he was down. I messaged and said ‘let’s fight. Let’s make it happen. Our teams are going to talk.’ And he was like ‘yeah, I am down. Let’s do it.’ Simple as that.” He added: “We talked even before Gevonta Davis and he said yes then. Really, after Gervonta, we called a bunch of people and he is the one that said yes and was actually down to do it in December.”

The ‘Problem Child’ was due to return to the ring earlier this month against lightweight king Gervonta Davis, but was forced to cancel the event after ‘Tank’ was accused of battery, false imprisonment and kidnapping by an ex-girlfriend. Paul has not fought since his convincing victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr back in June, and was eager to get at least one more fight under his belt before the end of the year.

After calling out several stars within the sport of boxing, it was Joshua who accepted the call. Despite the huge disparity in size, the bout will be a professional contest, staged over eight three-minute rounds. The fight will take place at heavyweight, but ‘AJ’ has been informed he cannot weigh more than 245lb for the clash.

Just days after their stunning clash was announced, the two stars met at a launch press conference in Miami. Joshua – who completely and utterly towered over his upcoming foe – vowed to make a statement ahead of his return to the ring. “It’s not a win for me if I just beat him; I need to knock him out,” he said.

“I’m going to break his face and break his body. I’m here to prove I’m the better fighter and will do that until I stop fighting. I’m going to go in there and do a job. I want to hurt him, I’m going to want to really hurt him in the ring. I’m going to come forward and impose myself. I’m going to land heavy punches and expose him to certain tricks in boxing that he maybe hasn’t seen yet. And I’m going to bring him to a different school of boxing that he maybe hasn’t been exposed to yet.”

Jake Paul Says He’s Found Anthony Joshua’s Weakness – His Losses All Share One Thing in Common

Jake Paul has identified what he believes is the fatal flaw in Anthony Joshua’s boxing toolkit ahead of their clash on December 19 in Miami. The YouTuber-turned-professional boxer will face the former two-time unified heavyweight champion in an eight-round bout at the Kaseya Center, with the fight streamed live on Netflix.

Jake Paul Identifies Size and Speed as Anthony Joshua’s Kryptonite Ahead of December Fight

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The size disadvantage Paul faces is undeniable. Joshua typically competes at around 250 pounds as a heavyweight, while Paul usually fights at cruiserweight at around 200 pounds. For their upcoming bout, Joshua is required to weigh no more than 245 pounds. At the recent press conference face-off, the 6-foot-6 Joshua towered visibly over the 6-foot-1 Paul.

Despite this significant physical disadvantage, Paul is convinced he’s identified a pattern in Joshua’s record that suggests he can pull off an upset. According to Paul, Joshua’s losses all share a common thread: they came against smaller, more mobile opponents.

Paul broke down his analysis by referencing Joshua’s recent losses. In 2019, Andy Ruiz Jr. defeated Joshua in their first fight despite giving up significant size, Ruiz stood 6 feet tall compared to Joshua’s 6 feet 6 inches. Joshua avenged that loss in their rematch later that year.

More recently, Joshua suffered a devastating knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024. Dubois, standing 6 feet 5 inches, is just an inch shorter than Joshua but compensated with superior speed and footwork that left Joshua unable to mount an effective defense.

The Oleksandr Usyk fights also factor into Paul’s theory. Usyk, the Ukrainian unified champion standing 6 feet 3 inches, is considerably smaller than Joshua’s frame yet dominated both fights through superior boxing technique and ring movement rather than size advantage.

Paul explains that Joshua’s weakness emerges against opponents who possess speed and footwork that allows them to neutralize his considerable power advantage. Paul stated the following about what he sees as Joshua’s vulnerability:

“Watching his Dubois fight, the Ruiz fight, even the Usyk fight, he’s lost to guys who are smaller than him. I think his weakness is his kryptonite: faster guys who don’t get hit by his big punches. He’s an amazing fighter, one of the best heavyweights ever, but with speed, footwork, and being in rhythm, I don’t think he can handle that. He doesn’t like that because he is a little stiff. He relies on power. You get hit by one of his shots, you’re cooked, but I believe I’ll be able to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.”

Paul’s logic builds on observations made by other boxing analysts. Usyk himself noted after their second fight that Joshua failed to capitalize on his size advantage throughout their contest, suggesting the British fighter’s inability to use his physical tools effectively may stem from his defensive approach against faster opponents.

Joshua’s record shows 28 wins and four losses, with 25 of those victories coming by knockout. However, his four defeats have raised questions about his chin and his tactical approach against specific fighting styles. His most recent loss to Dubois was particularly brutal, with Joshua being knocked down four times in five rounds before the fight was stopped.

Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua

Paul comes into the December fight with a record of 12 wins and one loss. His sole defeat came against Tommy Fury in February 2023 in Saudi Arabia via split decision. Paul has fought considerably less experienced opposition overall, with his most notable recent win coming against 58-year-old Mike Tyson in May 2025.

The upcoming fight represents a significant gamble for both fighters. Joshua, at 34 years old, is looking to rebuild his legacy after a series of disappointing results. Paul, meanwhile, is attempting to prove he belongs in heavyweight boxing against a genuine elite opponent. Joshua has indicated that anything less than a devastating victory would further damage his standing among top heavyweights.

Paul believes he can exploit what he sees as Joshua’s mechanical limitations. By staying mobile, maintaining rhythm, and using superior footwork, Paul argues he can avoid the power shots that have devastated Joshua’s opponents while accumulating points over the eight three-minute rounds. Whether Paul’s blueprint matches reality when the bell rings on December 19 will determine whether his controversial career in boxing has any legitimacy left.