US President Donald Trump has revealed his thoughts on Jake Paul’s knockout loss to Anthony Joshua.
After promising to cause the biggest upset in the history of boxing, influencer Paul failed to impress fans during his fight with two-time heavyweight champion Joshua.
Paul spent much of the early rounds refusing to engage with Joshua but eventually was forced to in the sixth round, where he was knocked up after failing to make the referee’s count.
After the fight, many have criticised the influencer’s performance, feeling that he had intentionally misled fans, with referee Christopher Young even telling Paul to be more active mid-fight.
And now, American President Trump has spoken out to have his say on Paul’s performance in the fight.
While fans have criticised Paul’s performance, co-founder of Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, Nakisa Bidarian, argued that the YouTuber had only lost because of the size difference, not because of the skill difference.
After watching the fight, it appears that Trump’s opinion is more in line with Bidarian, as the US president praised Paul for the heart he showed in the fight and his ability to stay in the fight for so long.
Posting on Truth social, Trump wrote: “I just got to watch the Jake Paul Fight, and he did really well, especially as a display of GREAT Courage against a very talented and large Anthony Joshua.
“Fantastic Entertainment, but Kudos to Jake for his Stamina, and frankly, Ability, against a much bigger man!”
Paul is five inches shorter than Joshua and went into the fight nearly two stone lighter than the former heavyweight champion.
The loss has left Paul with a brutal injury as he revealed he has broken his jaw in two places and, after a successful surgery, will have to eat food from a straw for seven days.
And Trump wasn’t the only big name offering respect to Paul for his performance as, despite critcising the influencer ahead of the fight, former UFC champion Conor McGregor also praised Paul.
Posting on Instagram after the fight, McGregor wrote: ““Fair play! Well done.”
First things first: you’re allowed to be disappointed, angry, or even jealous.
Such feelings are always valid when professionals are paid so handsomely for turning in the kind of work performance that would have others fearing for their jobs. That’s what happened on Friday night in Miami. And yes, Anthony Joshua underperformed by his own admission, but if you’re expending the majority of your energy on him, I’m afraid you got his fight with Jake Paul completely wrong.
The craving was intense for Joshua, a former two-time world heavyweight champion, to make Paul a meme by leaving him staring up at the lights in the Kaseya Center. Many wanted to see that happen inside 30 seconds. Many said that “AJ” going four or more rounds with this YouTuber-turned-boxer would ruin his legacy. Hell, many said this fight would be rigged – a claim easily disproved but spouted repeatedly regardless.
Truthfully, many of these desires and predictions betrayed a fundamental lack of understanding of boxing, and that is not meant condescendingly. There was always going to be a lot of “I told you so” on Saturday, regardless of what happened between Joshua and Paul. If Joshua, 36, had erased his opponent in 30 seconds, it would have been “I told you so”; if Paul, 28, had survived the full eight rounds, it would have been “I told you so”.
And there’s a temptation to claim an “I told you so” of our own, having suggested that fans wouldn’t get their desired, internet-breaking image of a pulverised Paul; rather, Joshua breaking down the American and forcing a stoppage always felt likelier to us. That is what happened in the end. However, anyone who told you pre-fight that they truly knew what was going to happen was lying to you. They didn’t.
For example, even those who felt Joshua might take several rounds to get rid of Paul were largely taking this stance because they thought the Briton – after 15 months out of the ring, following a brutal loss – might just want to take his time and enjoy being in the ring, under the brightest lights once again.
Not many predicted that the fight would have gone so long because of a very specific tactic by Paul; that is the crux here.
In fact, some pundits felt that Joshua might struggle to pin down Paul, believing that the YouTuber’s shorter stature would prove awkward for AJ, and that Paul would be on the move for the majority of the bout. Both of these predictions were proven true, having already been vindicated by the revelation that Paul had obtained a larger-than-usual ring.
But no one specifically predicted that a key part of Paul’s survival plan would be to dive at Joshua’s legs time and time again, seemingly in a bid to buy time and avoid damage.
This might seem a shallow observation on which to pin this article, but really, one particular recap video highlighted in just 90 seconds how flagrant Paul was with this tactic – if one can call it that, and it seemed deliberate enough to validate the word. Paul landed a reported 16 punches in the fight, and he seemed to dive at Joshua’s legs almost as many times.
In any other contest, a referee would surely be much more tempted to dock the fighter a point or even wave off the action, due to the boxer’s lack of desire to engage.
For what it is worth, it still feels there is a duty to give Paul some credit. You might not like that, but the fact that Paul landed 16 punches should hoist your shoulders into an accepting shrug. It is also honourable that he climbed off the canvas three times after separate knockdowns – apparently with a broken jaw – before succumbing to a fourth in round six. He was in with Anthony Joshua, for goodness’s sake.
The issue is, where one might want to give Paul credit for simply sharing the ring with Joshua in the first place, much of this credit was erased – in the way that many fans wish Paul had been. That’s courtesy of his approach to the fight. Let’s be clear: most viewers would likely have found themselves clinging to Joshua’s legs, seeking an escape, in the way Paul did. But the viewers were the ones buying the fight (or at least signing into Netflix), not selling it.
And once again, Paul sold something that did not come to pass. The problem here is that, while we can and should criticise him for this, viewers must also take responsibility.
How many swore never to watch Paul box again, after he went eight two-minute rounds in an action-light fight with a 58-year-old Mike Tyson 13 months ago? How many of those viewers tuned in on Friday, regardless?
Furthermore, how many will tune in for one of his future fights, once he picks the right opponent? You may tell yourself you won’t, and it’s not fair of us to tell you that your word is not worth the cost of a month’s Netflix subscription, but make no mistake: Joshua did not kill off Paul in the boxing ecosystem; the YouTuber will be back.
These pages have been more accepting and forgiving of Paul’s boxing venture than many others. He has brought countless eyeballs to the sport, and he has weaponised people’s loathing in a way that demands at least some credit, whether you can bring yourself to respect him or not. This has always been at the heart of Paul’s boxing journey: he has made his money off knowing how to wind you up, so it’s not worth falling for it, yet so many people do.
In that regard, some of this disappointment in AJ may be projection. Deep down, many viewers are probably disappointed in themselves. But the anger? Yes, you are very much allowed to be angry at Jake Paul. He sold you a fight, and fight he did not.
As Joshua prepares for the final stages of his career, the two-time heavyweight champion has enlisted the services of Oleksander Usyk’s training team, with Golub the main voice in the corner.
Immediately after Joshua’s win, a long-awaited showdown with Fury became the immediate topic of conversation, but in the eyes of Golub, AJ is not ready to face the former WBC heavyweight champion just yet.
Earlier this month, various outlets were reporting that Joshua and Fury had finally signed a deal to fight in 2026, but before this particular contest takes place, the pair will participate in warm-up bouts.
The idea of warm-up fights before a contest of this magnitude is a double edged sword. In terms of the benefits, it will allow both men to get back into fighting shape, shake off ring rust and generate even more excitement ahead of the opening bell.
On the other hand, if either Fury or Joshua, or possibly both, lose their warm-up bouts, then interest in the Battle of Britain will vanish.
Following Joshua’s win over Paul, Golub spoke to The Voice of Boxing, and claimed that his charge is not ready to go up against ‘The Gypsy King’ just yet.
“We need one more fight before Fury, Fury is a very dangerous boxer,” Golub said.
“He has a lot of skills, a good intellectual fighter, he must be ready for this, not now.”
With Golub being part of the team which masterminded Usyk’s two wins over Fury last year, he knows what it will take to topple ‘The Gypsy King’.
Against Paul, Joshua did not look great. While the American ran away from the two-time heavyweight champion, Joshua looked slow, especially when it came to his footwork.
Instead of urgency and hunting for the knockout, Joshua was plodding towards Paul who was constantly on the move until he tired and got knocked out in the sixth round.
Joshua said he wasn’t satisfied with his performance, despite breaking Paul’s jaw in two places.
“No, I needed to do better,” Joshua said at the post-fight press conference.
“It’s a win but it’s not a success. I think my coach expects more from me and I expect more from myself. But what can we do? We can’t reverse the clocks. We have to move forward. I have to put that in the past now.
“After today, you might see a bit of social media, trying to lap up all of the algorithm attention but for me, it’s in the past. I can’t live off of that win. I’ve got a lot of improving that I need to do. I’m not happy.”
Joshua explained that the expectations were high in this fight because Paul was a novice boxer.
“There was a lot riding on this fight,” Joshua said.
“A lot of pressure. A lot of expectations. I had to perform. A lot of people doubt me. A lot of people don’t respect me. There’s a lot of pressure. I had boxing on my back today and that was what it was really.
“I took Jake as serious as I needed to but most importantly, I take myself as serious as I need to. I respect myself. I respect boxing. I know what it takes to get in the ring. You have to be prepared. One slip up could cost you in that ring. Credit to Jake.”
February is being rumoured as the possible date for Joshua’s next outing, and if this is being used as a warm-up before facing Fury, Joshua and his team need to pick a credible heavyweight who is a slick mover to give the Olympic gold medallist the best preparation ahead of the eagerly awaited Battle of Britain.
Anthony Joshua looks set to lose almost half of the huge payout he received for his fight against Jake Paul.
The British heavyweight reportedly earned around £70 million for the bout, but may actually keep closer to £35 million.
The 36-year-old dispatched the YouTuber-turned-boxer in the sixth round, landing a knockout blow. There has been some strong backlash to the fight, as Joshua was expected to dominate Paul a lot more than he actually did.
While the former two-time heavyweight champion earned his victory, a lot of fans still see the event as a joke that cannot be taken seriously. Both men’s pockets would strongly disagree with that assessment, as they both bagged huge paydays in Miami.
Anthony Joshua’s Pockets to Be Hit After Netflix Blockbuster
AJ may have won the Netflix-broadcast bout, but the Brit is expected to be hit harder than his American opponent. While reported purses for both men have varied slightly, the common number reported to have been split between them was $184m.
That would work out at roughly £70 million per fighter, but Joshua won’t see all of that money. Instead, he’s going to be hit by both British and American tax laws. Per a press release from AceOdds, the Englishman could lose up to £33 million in US Federal Tax, payments to HMRC and National Insurance contributions in the UK.
Data experts worked out the exact breakdown of how much he will have to hand over in tax, as the press release stated: “Assuming the £70m figure is accurate, Joshua would be lumbered with a total tax bill of £31,386,203 on his earnings from the fight.”
In short, £25,867,333 of the money would be his US tax contribution, while a further £5,618,870 and £1,401,257 would go to HMRC and national insurance payments, respectively. That would leave him with just 53% of the reported £70 million. That’s still a handsome sum of cash.
Anthony Joshua Full of ‘Respect’ For Hospital-Bound Jake Paul
Despite sending his opponent to the hospital with a severely broken jaw, Joshua was quick to send praise Paul’s way after the fight. He stated:
“It wasn’t the best performance. The end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him. That has been the request leading up, and that’s what was on my mind. It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand finally found the destination.
“I want to give him his props. He got up time and time again. It was difficult in there for him, but he kept on trying to find a way. It takes a real man to do that. Anyone who laces up these gloves, we always say we give them our respect. We have to give Jake his respect for trying and trying and trying. Well done.”
And Paul came out with a game plan to stop Joshua landing his killer shot with some bizarre and scrappy tactics, although it saw him dropped four times.
In the sixth round, AJ finally landed that clean blow, a thumping right hand, which left Paul in a heap on the canvas.
But many had expected a stoppage in the opening stages, as had Joshua, who was hoping to give himself an early night.
When asked by talkSPORT if he felt criticism of his display was justified, Joshua replied: “I deserve it.
“Because we are elite fighters, if I put myself in the shoes of a coach, if my fighter did six rounds with Jake Paul…
“I would get him back in the gym tomorrow, give him a bit of a beating and get straight back to work.
“I’d be like ‘how are you letting this kid take you six rounds, are you crazy?’.
“But I can’t go back in time, but credit to him, he done well. I told him what would happen but it just took six rounds to do it.”
Joshua’s plans for 2026 and Tyson Fury message
Joshua is now expected to move into next year with a full focus on a final assault on the heavyweight division.
It has been agreed with Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh that he will first fight in February.
And it is expected that will then lead to an inevitable showdown with long-term rival Tyson Fury in the summer next year.
It is a highly anticipated clash and a big year for the former two-time champion, who is willing to waste no time to pursue the ‘Gypsy King’.
He continued to talkSPORT: “Yeah I think what happens is, is that your peak fitness leaves you after 14 days.
“So I will have 7-10 days doing some recovery and then I am going to get straight back to where we left off.
“I’m not going to disrespect Fury, but I deserve the fight, the fans deserve it.
“It’s such a shame, the guy needs to grow a backbone, you win some and you lose some.
“I definitely beat him, 100 per cent.”
Eddie Hearn’s verdict
Joshua’s promoter Hearn was less focused on the performance, and was keen to brush away any criticism.
He believes ultimately it was a good night’s work with a big 2026 now in the rear view mirror.
He added to talkSPORT: “It was a frustrating two or three rounds. Jake was moving around, I was impressed with his toughness.
“We got six good rounds in the end, I think it was a positive to be honest.
“It could have been done in seconds, but he’s done an eight-week camp and now has something to work on for 2026.”
A battered and bruised Jake Paul has responded to suggestions that his fight against Anthony Joshua was “rigged” by posting a clip of himself getting punched with a huge right hand that Paul says broke his jaw.
Joshua stopped Paul in the sixth round of their heavyweight contest, knocking down the YouTuber on three occasions before putting him away with a vicious right hand at the 1:31 mark of round six.
The American, who now holds a professional record of 12-2 with seven knockouts, spent much of the fight in survival mode.
But to his credit, he fought valiantly and landed a handful of punches on the former heavyweight champion. “He’s done really well tonight… I want to give him his props,” said Joshua as he addressed Paul’s performance in the ring.
He added: “It takes a real man to do that. Anyone who laces up these gloves, you give them respect.”
Paul looked worse for wear in the aftermath of Friday’s fight. In fact, MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian provided an update on the American’s condition at the post-fight press conference and suggested he was en route to the hospital.
“We think he broke his jaw,” said Bidarian. “He’s fine. We met with Netflix afterwards. He took a shower. He drove himself to the hospital. A broken jaw is common in sports, particularly in boxing or MMA, and I think the recovery time is four to six weeks.”
Shortly after Bidarian’s update, Paul posted a video of himself getting punched in the face by Joshua. Taking to Instagram, he sent a clear message to the doubters, captioning the clip “RIGGED?”
Paul could be seen spitting blood from his mouth after the TKO defeat. He also posted several pictures of his injuries, as seen below.
“That was crazy…. I had a blast,” Paul said in his post-fight interview. “I’m blessed by God to put on a performance like this. Anthony is a great fighter, I got my arse beat. But I’ll come back and keep winning.
“I’ve already won in every single way in life, my family, my jaw is broken by the way, it’s definitely broke, nice little arse whooping from one of the best to ever do it. Honestly, I’m not surprised, I just got tired, so much handling his weight, I think with better cardio, I could’ve kept fighting. I did my personal best.”
Paul added: “Oh, for sure, we’ll heel the broken jaw, go back, fight people my own weight and go for the cruiserweight world title.”
Prior to Friday’s event in Miami, a number of high-profile names questioned the legitimacy of the contest, including former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, who claimed it was ‘scripted’ because of the weight difference.
“You know, for me, in my opinion, I think it’s scripted a little bit because of the weight difference and Joshua’s a former champion and also he’s current, he’s active. This is going to be the first time that we see Paul fighting an active fighter,” he told Fight Hub TV.
“We’ve seen the Mike Tyson, that was all fun, that was cute… it’s fun and games But now you’re dealing with a real professional. We’ll see how it ends up.”
He added: “I think it’s scripted. At the end of the day, I just want everybody to have fun. I want them to enjoy themselves because we risk our lives for others’ entertainment.”
Paul has been accused of fixing his fights, but there is no evidence to back up such claims.
Anthony Joshua has demanded Tyson Fury to “talk with his fists” and face him in 2026 to settle their differences in a British super fight.
AJ dispatched Jake Paul in six rounds, overcoming a frustrating opening against his overmatched opponent.
The Briton broke Paul’s jaw and then turned his attention to Fury, who had criticised him in the build-up to the fight, with a potential showdown reportedly arranged by Riyadh Season boss Turki Alalshikh.
“I appreciate everyone in this venue,” Joshua said after securing victory in Miami. “It wasn’t the best performance, the end goal was to get Paul, pin him down and hurt him.
“that was on my mind, it took longer than expected. Now, Jake Paul has done really well tonight. He got up, time and time again.
“It was difficult for me in there. We give them their respect, he tried and tried, but he came up against a real fighter in there.
“I had a 15 month layoff, if Tyson is as serious as he is, if he wants to put on some gloves, take a challenge, don’t give all that talking, AJ this, AJ that, let’s see you talk with your fists.”
While Paul detailed the damage suffered at the hands of the former world champion.
“That was crazy, I had a blast, I’m blessed by God to put on a performance like this. Anthony is a great fighter, I got my arse beat. But I’ll come back and keep winning,” Paul said.
“I’ve already won in every single way in life, my family, my jaw is broken by the way, it’s definitely broke, nice little arse whooping from one of the best to ever do it.
“Honestly, I’m not surprised, I just got tired, so much handling his weight, I think with better cardio, I could’ve kept fighting. I did my personal best.
“Oh, for sure, we’ll heel the broken jaw, go back, fight people my own weight and go for the cruiserweight world title.”
Anthony Joshua knocked out Jake Paul in their heavyweight boxing bout on Friday night, but not before both men were savaged by the referee for the lack of action in the fight.
The first four rounds didn’t provide much entertainment for fans in attendance at the Kaseya Center in Miami. Barely a punch was thrown in the first half of the bout, and when the Brit finally did start to find a way through, ‘The Problem Child’ appeared to begin falling to the canvas in an effort to avoid engaging with the former two-time heavyweight champion of the world.
Paul was claiming that he had been hit with a low blow, but if the American was trying to convince official Christopher Young to deduct a point from Joshua, it didn’t work.
Referee’s Brutal Comment Mid-Fight Comment to Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua
Instead, the referee brought both men together and told them in no uncertain terms what he thought of the fight to that point.
“Listen, the rough tactics have got to stop. The fans didn’t pay to see this crap. If you’re gonna fight, then fight, but fight within the rules!”
Young’s pep talk seemed to work, as Joshua upped his intensity in the second half of the fight, but it was hardly the sort of performance that will launch the Londoner back into heavyweight title contention.
As is standard practice, Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua have been suspended from boxing after the pair went head-to-head at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
YouTube personality Paul, who boasted a 12-1 record with seven knockouts coming into the eight-round contest, squared off against former heavyweight champion Joshua on Friday night in one of the most highly anticipated fights in recent times.
“The Problem Child” was scheduled to face Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis in an exhibition on November 14 but the fight was cancelled after allegations of abuse were made against the former three-division world champion.
Paul was supremely confident coming into the fight with Joshua. “I don’t think he can knock me out because he’s not going to be able to line up his shots properly to land the hard punch,” he said on The Pat McAfee Show.
He added: “I think it’s going to be a very tough fight for multiple rounds, but then, when I figure out his pacing, his style, his speed, his footwork, he’s going to get a little bit tired trying to chase me around, and then I’m going to set up the shot.”
Paul claimed he would stop Joshua in the fifth or sixth round but the latter secured victory with a sixth-round knockout.
Regardless of how the fight played out, both men were always going to be hit with a suspension from boxing.
Therefore, both Paul and Joshua will be assessed by a physician and required to enter a mandatory seven-day resting period upon conclusion of the fight, with day one beginning on the first day after Friday’s heavyweight bout.
When he was knocked out by Paul in Florida in 2024, former MMA fighter Mike Perry was handed a 60-day medical suspension by the commission.
A technical knockout typically results in an automatic 30-day suspension, preventing a fighter from any type of boxing activity for that period.
After Paul beat Mike Tyson in a bout that went the distance in November 2024, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations demanded that both fighters be suspended for 24 days – three days for every round they fought.
The regulations are enforced to prioritise the health of fighters and ensure they are given adequate time to recover.
