There is “zero part” of Anthony Joshua that feels the need to carry Jake Paul in a heavyweight bout that is viewed worldwide as a mismatch.

Joshua feels an obligation to pummel Paul in a manner similar to how he annihilated Francis Ngannou in March 2024. The two-time unified heavyweight champion knocked out Ngannou, a former UFC champ, in the first round of a bout that took place four months following Ngannou’s surprisingly competitive, 10-round, split-decision defeat to another former champ from England, Tyson Fury.

The 6-foot-6, 250-pound Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) explained his mindset Tuesday night during a question-and-answer session with reporters in Miami Beach, Florida.

“And it’s not even that it’s Jake,” Joshua said. “It’s just – do you know, I was actually looking at myself today. I’m a very like respectful guy, brought up by a good family. But if I can kill you, I will kill you. That’s just how I am. And this is just the job I do, so let’s go.”

DraftKings lists Joshua as a 12-1 favorite to beat the comparatively inexperienced, unproven Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) in an eight-round fight Netflix will stream to more than 300 million subscribers globally from Kaseya Center in Miami. Joshua, 36, has embraced the responsibility of proving Paul has no business being in the ring with an active, accomplished ex-champion who has won almost 80 percent of his professional bouts by knockout.

“I’m carrying boxing on my back,” Joshua said. “I done it with the Ngannou fight and I’m gonna do it again. I understand the expectation. I don’t carry it because the expectation I have of myself is already enough. But I understand it, I acknowledge it and I respect it. But that’s about it, as far as outside concern about this fight.”

Joshua will end a layoff of almost 15 months when he opposes Paul. He hasn’t boxed since countryman Daniel Dubois knocked him out in the fifth round of their IBF title fight in September 2024 at Wembley Stadium in London.

Paul, of Westlake, Ohio, outpointed former WBC middleweight champ Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (54-7-1, 34 KOs, 1 NC) unanimously in his most recent action, a 10-rounder June 28 at Honda Center in Anaheim, California. That fight was contested at the cruiserweight limit of 200 pounds, the division within which the 28-year-old Paul has mostly competed since he made his pro debut in January 2020.

The polarizing Paul lost only an eight-round split decision to British rival Tommy Fury, Tyson’s half-brother, in February 2023. He has built his record, as critics consistently point out, mostly by defeating faded former MMA stars, a retired NBA point guard and a fellow social media influencer.