Notebook: Jake Paul pushes back on claims his fight vs. Joshua isn't 'real'
Tsutsumi outpoints Donaire in grueling fight, retains bantamweight belt; Tszyu routs Velazquez; new foe for Serrano; BetUS Boxing Show special; Crawford vacates WBO title; Quick hits; Show and tell
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To many, Jake Paul has to be crazy to fight former two-time unified heavyweight titleholder Anthony Joshua in an official boxing match.
Joshua, an Olympic gold medalist, is much bigger (6-foot-6 to 6-1), possesses devastating one-punch power, is far more experienced at the elite level of the sport and demonstrably better in every facet
Paul, the former Disney star known for his YouTube videos and social media presence before turning to boxing, remains a relatively novice 200-pound cruiserweight. But he is moving up to heavyweight — where Joshua regularly fights at around 250 pounds — to face the first legitimately serious boxer of his career in an eight-rounder atop the Most Valuable Promotions card on Friday (Netflix, 8 p.m. ET) at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
The pairing is so outlandish to some — many feel Paul could be seriously injured in a brutal knockout loss — that there has been constant chatter since the fight was made that the fix must be in; that there is no way that this can be a fight on the up and up and that there must be some sort of gentlemen’s agreement that Joshua will take it easy on Paul.
Joshua swears that is not the case and Paul has heard the cries before that his bouts are somehow not “real,” so much so that when there were accusations that his bout with the legendary Mike Tyson, who came out of a 19-year retirement to fight him in a blockbuster event 13 months ago, was fixed his team had to threaten litigation.