If you know anything about Jake Paul, you know he can be quite the promoter. With today’s presser hyping up his upcoming fight against two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on Friday, Paul pulled out all the stops. He called himself a better boxer than Joshua. He said people who don’t take him seriously need to shut up. He even said he’s done more for boxing than anyone in the last two decades.
Love him or hate him, he knows how to rile up the masses, and that is what is driving the intrigue for this fight.
When the two faced off, the massive Joshua towered over Paul, which is to be expected given their five-inch height discrepancy. However, what wasn’t expected was how unserious Paul seems to be taking this fight. Paul made faces at Joshua and stuck out his gut, clearly goading Joshua.
Given how much publicity Paul’s fight against Tyson got a year ago after Tyson punched Paul at their face-off, it makes sense that Paul would look to create a similarly viral moment. Alas, no such moment happened, but sparks will certainly fly when the pair duke it out on Friday.
Here are the highlights from Wednesday’s presser.
Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua face-off
When all was said and done, Joshua and Paul faced off just 48 hours before their fight. Paul didn’t seem to take Joshua seriously at the start, sticking out his gut and making faces at the two-time heavyweight champion.
Meanwhile, Joshua stood there sternly, towering over Paul. Finally, the two backed off and flexed for the cameras. Paul might need to start putting more respect on Joshua’s name before their fight. There’s a reason Joshua is the favorite.
Fighters choose Paul to beat Joshua
To end the first part of the presser, each of the fighters participating on the card were asked whether they thought Jake Paul or Anthony Joshua would win. Shockingly, Paul earned seven votes to Joshua’s four.
Many of the fighters abstained from making a choice.
Anthony Joshua: ‘Jake Paul is a great challenge for me’
It’s clear that Joshua and Paul have immense respect for each other. Despite their jawing throughout this presser, including Joshua clearly stating that he plans on proving he’s a far superior boxer on Friday, Joshua still made sure to give Paul his flowers.
Paul’s fearlessness was the biggest point of Joshua’s praise. Paul believes that fearlessness is what has made him such a great boxer. He noted that he used to want to be a NAVY Seal, ‘going around killing people. So, maybe I’m just f—-d up like that.’
Jake Paul calls out skeptics
After being asked how Paul responds to people who believe his fights are fake, Paul said that he treats it as a compliment, but that those people need to ‘shut up.’ He also inferred that people who believe such things are not the brightest bulbs.
Jake Paul: ‘Boxing fans should want me to win’
It didn’t take long for Paul to be asked how he responds to boxing fans who believe he isn’t a real boxer. Paul responded by claiming that nobody has done more for the sport of boxing in the last two decades than him.
He followed that up by saying that given how he’s been able to grow the sport, real boxing fans should want him to win. While Paul did admit that he understands where the animosity is coming from, he also established that he deserves a bit more respect for bringing boxing back into the national spotlight.
Jake Paul enters
The man of the hour has entered the building for the presser. Here was his entrance:
Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua press conference: Date, time, stream and how to watch
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 17
Time: 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT)
Stream: MVP’s YouTube Channel and Netflix Sports’ YouTube Channel
Joshua vs. Paul full fight card
Jake Paul-Anthony Joshua (main event): Heavyweight
Anderson Silva-Tyron Woodley: Cruiserweight
Alycia Baumgardner-Leila Beaudoin: Women’s Unified Super Featherweight World Champion title match
Cherneka Johnson-Amanda Galle: Women’s Undisputed Bantamweight World Champion title match
Yokasta Valle-Yadira Bustillos: Women’s WBC Strawweight World Champion title match
Avious Griffin-Justin Cardona: Welterweight
Keno Marley-Diarra Davis Jr.: Cruiserweight
Anthony Joshua, Jake Paul career records
Anthony Joshua boasts an impressive 28-4 record with 25 wins coming via knockout. Paul hosts an equally impressive 12-1 career record with seven knockouts.
When is the Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul fight?
Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua is set for this Friday, December 19 at 8 p.m. ET. The fight will be a sanctioned heavyweight bout, a step up from the cruiserweight division that Paul typically fights at.
The fight will take place at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, home of the NBA’s Miami Heat.
How to watch Joshua vs. Paul:
Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul will stream exclusively on Netflix. Subscribers will be able to watch this highly-anticipated combat event without any additional pay-per-view fees.
For people without a Netflix subscription, restaraunts and bars and other commercial establishments will be able to air the fight so long as they secured permission to do so through EverPass Media.