‘Fight Them or Be Exposed’- Anthony Joshua Drops Two SHOCK Names for Jake Paul’s Next Bout”
Despite knocking him out in the sixth round, and breaking his jaw in two places in the process, Anthony Joshua was left rather impressed by Jake Paul’s grit and determination when the two shared the ring together in Miami, Florida, on the 19th of December.
In a highly controversial fight that was streamed live on Netflix, The Problem Child, who used to be a Disney star and is still a YouTuber, took on former two-time world heavyweight champion, AJ, in a crossover bout that stunned the combat sport world.
Unsurprisingly, Joshua was the heavy favourite heading into the fight, but he made hard work of it, failing to get the American out of there until round six… just two rounds before the fight would’ve gone the distance.
Paul used the early rounds to avoid the Brit, which is no surprise really, but once fatigue set in, he was a sitting duck, which in the end resulted in him hitting the canvas for a fifth and final time in the sixth round.
Speaking in his post-fight press conference, Joshua was full of praise for his controversial opponent, highlighting how much respect he has for him for actually stepping into the ring in the first place.
Up until fighting AJ, Paul had only really faced veterans of the combat sport world or people who simply weren’t boxers, bar Tommy Fury, who he lost to, so Joshua was complimentary of the YouTuber for agreeing to fight him and then actually going through with it.
“Jake has spirit,” he said.
“He has some heart. He tried his best, and I take my hat off to him because No. 1, a lot of fighters haven’t got in the ring with me, and Jake did. Secondly, even when he got knocked down, he kept on trying to get up, and I take my hat off to him.”
Obviously, due to sustaining a broken jaw, Paul will have to spend some time on the sidelines, but AJ is fully backing him to make a return to the ring in 2026, and has even picked out two potential opponents for him.
Anthony Joshua used his post-fight presser to send a message to America about Paul, and said that if he really wants to make a dent in boxing, he could do if his heart remains in it.
“So, America, I think you have someone who could potentially — if he still has the heart for it — come back again, dust the dust off his shoulder and come again and maybe sell out this place sometime in 2026.
Continuing, Joshua then mentioned two possible opponents for Paul in his return fight, stating: “Maybe against a Gervonta Davis, a Ryan Garcia, who knows.”
For now, Jake Paul will have to rest up and recover from his broken jaw, but it’s clear he’s left a positive lasting impression on Anthony Joshua. They will now go their separate ways, with the latter eyeing up Tyson Fury in 2026, while maybe we’ll see the former in the ring again next year as well, possibly against either Davis or Garcia.
