Jake Paul says he’s willing to go where most fighters won’t.
At the first faceoff in Miami, the size gap was glaring with the 6-foot-6 Anthony Joshua towering over the 6-foot-1 Paul, but the message from the smaller man was louder.
“I just have to avoid that one shot for eight rounds, and I believe that I can do that,” Paul said. “I want him to cut me up. I want him to break my face, but guess what? He’s going to have to kill me to stop me, and I’m ready to die. Seriously. Ready to die in the ring to win this fight.”
Joshua and Paul meet Dec. 19 at the Kaseya Center in Miami in an eight-round heavyweight bout streamed by Netflix.
Paul is leaning on belief and a game plan built on speed, angles and discipline. He called Joshua one of the best heavyweights ever.
“I like to challenge myself. I like to take on the biggest, the best. I said anyone, anytime, any place,” Paul said. “No one ever thought that this would be possible, that we would be here when I first started boxing, and no one thinks I’m going to win.”
For his part, Joshua embraced the spectacle and the risk.
“It’s massive. It’s colossal. It’s making big news. We’re bringing marketability together with ability,” Joshua said. “If I’m going to be honest, I’m going to break his face, I’m going to break his body up, I’m going to stomp all over him.”
The rules add a wrinkle. Joshua must weigh no more than 245 pounds at the official weigh-in. He’s hovered at 250 pounds or more in recent outings. Paul, who was slimming down for a canceled Gervonta Davis date, expects to come in between 215 and 225 after bulking back up.
There’s history on both sides. Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) remains one of the heavyweight division’s most destructive punchers. Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) has stacked names, from Tyron Woodley to Anderson Silva to a decision over 59-year-old Mike Tyson, and he has built a team he trusts.
“People say, ‘I respect Jake Paul for getting in there,'” Paul said. “No. Respect me because I’m about to win.”
–Field Level Media
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