Teddy Atlas has suggested the ways in which Jake Paul might be able to survive eight rounds, and ultimately fall short, against Anthony Joshua.
The pair will square off in a professional heavyweight contest at the Kaseya Center in Miami, headlining a card live on Netflix.
Throughout the build-up, many have declared that Joshua, a two-time world champion, will simply blast though his novice opponent before entering a far sterner test in 2026.
The plan, it seems, is for the 36-year-old to appear on a Riyadh Season show in February, with Tyson Fury also expected to make a comeback in the first half of next year.
Should the two domestic rivals come through their respective outings, then a long-awaited clash between Joshua and Fury could, all of a sudden, become a realistic proposition.
Before that, though, ‘AJ’ must first take care of business against Paul in his first fight since suffering a fifth-round stoppage defeat to Daniel Dubois in September 2024.
Due to the devastating nature of his fourth professional loss, many have suggested that Joshua, seemingly bordering on retirement, no longer possesses the confidence to fully let his hands go.
This is what legendary trainer Atlas believes could work in Paul’s favour, not allowing the YouTuber-turned-boxer to win their contest but, instead, enabling him to fiddle his way to the final bell.
By giving up nearly 30lbs in weight to Joshua, Atlas said on his YouTube channel that the American must predominantly focus on making himself a difficult target to pin down and will be looking to survive, not win, against a heavyweight who may take a while to get back into his rhythm following a knockout loss and a year of inactivity.
The trainer-turned-analyst said that the odds were so stacked against Paul, that even hearing the final bell is a victory.
“The win for [Paul] is that he goes the distance. He shocks the world that he can even go the distance.”
“He’s not going to survive by being the bigger guy; he’ll survive by being the smaller guy, and being able to fight small and smart and fast and elusive, with a guy that might be a little gun-shy.”
With the fight just hours away, Manny Pacquiao has also offered his prediction for the bout.
