The fight between Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua, set for Dec. 19 in Miami, has done more than generate public interest.
It has fueled skepticism, too.
Hasim Rahman, the retired heavyweight champion, captured the sentiment when he told USA TODAY Sports, ‘It should be an easy fight for Anthony Joshua. I mean, Jake Paul never fought anybody on that level in their prime or remotely useful.’
So, if Joshua fails win the eight-round heavyweight fight decisively? ‘We need some investigation going on,’ Rahman said.
Such talk is nothing new for Paul, who heard similar chatter before and after he beat 58-year-old Mike Tyson in 2024. Once again, the insinuations amount to nothing more than speculation, with no one having presented evidence of match-rigging. Also, Lou Durkin, president of the Association of Ringside Physicians, told USA TODAY Sports he thinks Paul has ‘real skills’ and there’s a good chance the fight with Joshua will go the distance.
But this time the dynamic is different.
Unlike Tyson, Joshua is 36 and still looks powerful and explosive.
Also, Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) has entered each of his previous fights as the favorite. This time, he’ll be a significant underdog. Not to mention he’ll be facing a massive size disadvantage. (Paul is 6-1 and expects to weigh in at no more than 220 pounds. Joshua is 6-6 and will be allowed to weigh in at a maximum of 245 pounds.)
With the fight shaping up to be a mismatch, at least on paper, notable retired fighters Gerry Cooney and Ray Mercer made comments similar to those from Rahman.
‘A little bit of a joke’
Cooney fought Larry Holmes for the WBC heavyweight title and The Ring heavyweight title in 1982 and fought Michael Spinks for The Ring heavyweight title 1987. He lost both bouts but did beat former champion Ken Norton and top contenders Ron Lyle and Jimmy Young.
Of Paul, Cooney said, ‘Obviously, Tyson could’ve ripped that kid apart in one round, right?’
Cooney, 69, then referred to Paul’s fight during the pandemic in 2020 on the undercard of Tyson’s exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr. That night, Paul delivered one of the most electric moments with a brutal knockout of retired NBA player Nate Robinson.
‘Jake Paul was great,’ Cooney said. ‘He gave us entertainment. But now it’s becoming a little bit of a joke, I feel. I mean, Joshua’s going in there with him and…do whatever they want him to do, or maybe not.’
‘He can actually box’
Mercer won the WBO heavyweight title in 1991 and defended it with a victory over Tommy Morrison. He also fought the likes of Larry Holmes, Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis.
Mercer, 64, commended Paul.
‘I think he can actually box, but just not on the level of the people that he’s boxing,’ Mercer. ‘You know what I’m saying? If he joined a tournament like the Golden Gloves or something like that, he might do good. But the people that he’s fighting, all the champions and all that, I mean, come on.’
On Paul’s X account, he has posted images of himself looking up at Joshua and Sylvester Stallone, playing Rocky, looking up at Ivan Drago, the fictional character who Rocky defeats in ‘Rocky IV.’ Drago reappears in ‘Creed II.’
‘You got Sly Stallone come out with movies, Creed and all that,’ Mercer said. ‘But it’s real people out there (in the fight between Paul and Joshua). I hope (Joshua) can just say to hell with it and knock his ass out.’
‘Should be an easy fight’
Rahman, 53, won the unified heavyweight title in 2001 and the WBC title for a second time in 2005.
He pointed out that Joshua won an Olympic gold medal (in 2012) and the unified heavyweight title twice. By contrast, Paul has fought professionally 13 times with no amateur career — beyond a victory over a YouTuber, that is.
Paul, 28, is eight years younger than Joshua. But the gulf in experience and achievement between the boxers is undeniable.
‘I don’t believe it should be a competitive fight. It should not,’ Rahman said. ‘I feel like if Anthony Joshua don’t go in there and manhandle (Paul) and maul him and get him out of there in one or two rounds, then we got some questions to be asked.’