On December 19, Jake Paul attempts an ambitious victory over Anthony Joshua to silence his doubters and take over the sport of boxing. Now, four-division world champion Roy Jones Jr has offered his thoughts on the contest.
Paul has fought as a cruiserweight in all but one of his 13 professional bouts, with the exception being against a 58-year-old Mike Tyson in 14oz gloves and two-minute rounds – in what seemed like an exhibition from the moment that the opening bell rang.
Yet, he now takes on a two-time heavyweight ruler and active title contender in Joshua, using 10oz gloves and full three-minute rounds, in an effort to pull off one of the most shocking upsets in boxing history.
In an interview with All the Smoke Fight, fan-favourite heavyweight conqueror Jones Jr said Paul did have a chance of knocking ‘AJ’ to the canvas but dismissed Paul’s chances of winning the clash, believing that Joshua’s superior experience and amateur background make this a near-impossible task for the YouTuber-turned-boxer.
“I like Jake Paul a lot. I think this is one of the most dangerous fights that he is ever going to fight.
“Yeah, if he can hit AJ then he has got a chance to get [knock] AJ down too because when you’re that heavy, and we know AJ has been down before, you do have a chance – if you can put a good one on his chin.
“However, AJ is a former Olympian, a former world heavyweight champion. I don’t see no way in the world that a former gold medallist, a former heavyweight champion of the world is going to let Jake Paul beat him, unless he is completely out of shape.”
“These guys know how to box, they ain’t just learned it a few minutes ago, they know how to box. If you don’t have that in you, or some real killer in you, some sacrifice in you to eat two or three [punches] to get you one, you are not going to win.”
Paul-Joshua will be available to watch live on Netflix, as the pair top a bill that features four world title fights.
