Jake Paul has spent years demanding to be recognised as a “real” boxer.
He has called out the likes of Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, while at the same time picking opponents ranging from retired MMA fighters and faded ex-champions to reality TV personalities and even a grandfather.
But on Friday in Miami, that sideshow collides with boxing’s top tier as Paul faces two-time heavyweight world champion and Olympic gold medallist Anthony Joshua.
Some give Paul, the Disney-actor-turned-YouTuber-turned-boxer, credit for daring. Others question his sanity. Almost nobody gives him a chance.
“I worry about Jake’s health,” trainer Joe Gallagher tells BBC Sport.
Former world champion and Team GB coach Richie Woodhall says Joshua is the “hardest puncher” he has ever had on the pads.
Liverpool’s two-division champion Natasha Jonas calls the whole event simply “wild”.
That tension with boxing’s old guard irritates Paul. In fight week, he bristled at the mention of criticism, describing detractors as a “peanut gallery that doesn’t exist” and insisting the question of whether he belongs no longer concerns him.
On paper, Paul-Joshua is the biggest mismatch to headline a boxing event.
Yet inside Paul’s camp, the tone is very different. There is a belief the 28-year-old has improved far more than the public realise.
