Jake Paul has been
writing checks that his body might not be able to cash ahead of Friday night’s fight against Anthony Joshua.
But the plus-700 betting underdog Paul believes he will
back up his proclamations – all while backing up Brink’s truck – against the former two-time unified heavyweight champion as they gear up for their Netflix-staged showdown in Miami.
"Having
Anthony Joshua as an opponent, I think it's a winnable fight for me," Paul said on MVP Uncut. "This is what we signed up for. He's very tall, but that means I can use my speed and my size to my advantage as well."
"When you look at it, he's lost to guys smaller than him. I think it's his weakness. His kryptonite is the faster guys who don't get hit by big punches.
"He looks intense, focused, locked in. He's obviously very, very tall looking up, my tallest opponent. My eyes are at his chest level, but we're locked in. I don't think there's fear in his, or my eyes.
"He's definitely a bit chinny. He's durable, gets back up. He knows how to fight when he's hurt, and is still dangerous when he's hurt. But I do see holes where I can land big shots.”
The novice Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) is banking on catching Joshua and stopping him, just like
Andy Ruiz Jr. did in 2019 and
Daniel Dubois did last time out in September.
Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) was also knocked down during his 11th-round knockout win against
Wladimir Klitschko in 2017, and his other two losses have come by unanimous decision against
Oleksandr Usyk. Joshua is 6-4 over his last 10 fights.
"He's an amazing fighter and one of the best heavyweights ever," said Paul. "I just think with speed, footwork and being in a rhythm, I don't think he can handle that. He doesn't like that because he is a little bit stiff, does rely on his power. Obviously, if you get hit by one of his shots, you're cooked. But I believe I'll be able to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee."
Paul said he manifested the pitting by practicing
delusional optimism.
"I didn't think it would get this big, this fast ... this is definitely surreal. I always said this is where I would be, and that's what ended up happening," said Paul. "I'm only going to get better in the next couple of years and continue to do massive fights and challenge myself."
Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan.