Oleksandr Usyk went into overdrive when comparing the caliber of class between
Anthony Joshua and
Jake Paul ahead of their fight on December 19.
“Anthony is a Rolls-Royce. Jake Paul is a Fiat,” Usyk told Boxing King Media. “A Rolls-Royce cannot have any kind of competition against a Fiat. It doesn't make any sense.”
After beating Joshua twice – by unanimous decision in 2021 and split decision in 2022 –
Usyk invited the former two-time unified heavyweight champion to train with his team in Spain as he prepared for his comeback.
England’s Joshua has not fought since suffering a fifth-round knockout loss to
Daniel Dubois in September 2024. Ukraine’s Usyk, who owns The Ring, IBF, WBA and WBC titles, disposed of Dubois by stoppage for a second time in July.
Joshua has promised that Paul will get exposed, stopped, and schooled on boxing when they meet in Miami for their eight-rounder. Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) is supposed to easily get rid of the novice Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) in
a bout Netflix will stream worldwide, move on to a February fight and then a potential showdown against Tyson Fury.
Usyk, who also beat Fury twice, plans on giving Joshua all of the keys required to
regain his spot in the driver’s seat.
“Anthony and I are friends now,” Usyk said. “I like Anthony because he's smart, and has a very big heart. If I can help my opponents, I will. We're not giving him my style. My team does not have only one [coaching] lane of Usyk, Usyk, Usyk. We have different styles. We are giving him new tools that are going to help Anthony grow.”
Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan.