Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua are set to square off on Friday, and those with a Netflix subscription will see what many have called the most challenging fight Paul has ever agreed to. That said, some have suspected a secret deal is in place, and that the Olympic gold medalist will go easy on the boxer in their big bout. Once again, Paul is accused of rigging his matches, and the former social media star fired back at boxers and critics alike who have made that claim.
While Jake Paul has faced accusations from sports pundits and combat sports fans for quite a while now, he recently came under fire from fellow professional boxer Deontay Wilder. During the latest press conference for Paul vs. Joshua, which is set for Friday, December 19th, Paul gave his thoughts on how he handles anyone who says his fights aren't real:
I give them a cease and desist letter in their email for lying on my name. Then the lawsuit's coming right after because these people won't stop lying. I honestly take it as a compliment, but people need to shut the fuck up. Deontay Wilder, he's been hit a lot by Tyson Fury, so he's clearly not the smartest guy, but there's nothing in the contract. AJ can attest to it. We're going to war and that's the end of the day that all my fights have been like.
Tyson Fury got a shoutout in the middle of that, which isn't too surprising considering he's praised the Paul brothers and what they've done for boxing over the past few years. It's also noteworthy that Fury is in active talks to be Anthony Joshua's opponent in 2026, so maybe there were some head games from Jake Paul to remind his opponent what's at stake. If Joshua lost this match, Fury's manager indicated it's unlikely he would be given the opportunity to battle "The Gypsy King."
Paul taking shots at Deontay Wilder comes after the former heavyweight champion made comments that he believes the upcoming fight with Anthony Joshua is fixed. For example, he was asked to give his prediction on the bout by Aceodds.com, and said the following:
Don't know. It all depends on what type of deal that was done. Know what I'm saying (laughs).
Allegations of Jake Paul working out deals to fix his matches amplified after his showdown with Mike Tyson, in which he handily beat the legendary boxer by decision. Tyson has remained friendly with Paul since then, and some have claimed refrained from taking advantage of opportunities to land significant blows on Paul when they fought. At the same time, Tyson was much older than Paul and suffered a medical event in the months leading up to it, so it's fair to speculate he was off his game.
The Tyson bout, along with his previous encounters against amateur combatants or former UFC champions with limited boxing experience, has made critics suspicious of Jake Paul's upcoming tussle with Anthony Joshua. Prior to this, Paul had not entered a match as the underdog, but the odds are heavily stacked against him with Anthony Joshua.
Some in the sports world have said it's dangerous for Paul to take on someone with significantly more boxing experience than he has, which has led to suspicions that thereis a secret agreement for Joshua to take it easy on his opponent. As of now, it's all speculation, but we'll see what people have to say after they throw hands.
Tune in for Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua on Friday, December 19th at 8:00 p.m. ET. I'm eager to see them throw down because, regardless of how it ends, I doubt I'm going to be disappointed.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
