Barring a string of limitations imposed on Anthony Joshua, those who awoke to the news that the former two-time heavyweight champion is fighting Jake Paul December 19 in Miami drew similar first reactions Monday.
“If this is a real fight, it should be over in 90 seconds,” former 140lbs world champion and ProBoxTV analyst Chris Algieri said on Monday’s episode of “BoxingScene Today.”
“Anthony Joshua is an Olympic gold medalist [and a former world champion], Jake Paul is undersized, and Joshua punches his right hand like it’s a cannon.”
Joshua was selected following Paul’s decision not to fight WBA lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis in a Friday exhibition on Netflix due to Davis’ repeat involvement in a domestic-violence episode.
The decision to switch to England’s Joshua, 28-4 (25 KOs), on Netflix puzzled many in the industry who have watched the YouTube star take on a slew of MMA fighters,lightly seasoned pros and over-the-hill opponents including Mike Tyson and Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr.
“I would’ve thought someone like [former heavyweight champion] Deontay Wilder would’ve been a better choice … he’s got a big name, is clearly on the downside of his career and could use the money,” one veteran boxing official told BoxingScene Monday. “Joshua? Jesus, he can fight.”
Former welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi said on ‘BoxingScene Today’ that even if the bout was declared an exhibition with restrictions like Joshua using heavily padded gloves, “He’s still a big problem,” for Paul. Which suggests he’ll be a gargantuan problem considering it’s been confirmed that it is a sanctioned eight-round bout and they will be using 10oz gloves.
Host Jimmy Smith raised the point that Joshua, who is expected to return to the professional boxing match in February for Saudi Arabia financier Turki Alalshikh, would compromise his credibility by letting a fight with Paul drag on.
“Joshua has done this already,” in a March 2024 second-round knockout of former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia, Algieri reminded.
“He’s fought a guy he was supposed to beat and wiped the floor with him,” Algieri said. “The guy [Joshua] didn’t play with his food. If he doesn’t go out there, lay into Jake Paul and finish him… it will look fishy.”
Paul 12-1 is the WBA’s 14th-ranked cruiserweight. He has participated in real fights and exhibitions, flashing power by knocking out UFC fighters Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley.
But Malignaggi said reducing the fight to a puncher’s chance is a marketing ploy that often disappoints.
“I think Jake can hit a little bit,” encouraging some to wonder, “What if it lands on Joshua’s chin?… What-ifs usually don’t happen, and it doesn’t bode well for Jake,” Malignaggi said. “Let’s see what kind of deck stacking they can do, this guy [Joshua] is 240 pounds with abs.”
Algieri said Joshua is entitled to parlay his popularity and credibility to a lucrative “sideshow” and “grab a bag.”
“Him agreeing to this fight is not that foreign,” Algieri said. “Still, it’s wild to see.”
