I tuned in to watch Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua with my Netflix subscription, knowing the odds were heavily stacked against Paul. The broadcast made that clear as well, but Paul was credited for having the gall to stand in the ring with an Olympic world champion and try to get taken seriously as a professional boxer. Unfortunately, for the social media star, I don’t think this fight moved him any closer to his dream of a title match.
Earlier this year, I made the bold statement that Jake Paul deserved a title shot for the popularity spike he’d given to the sport. I was even fooled into believing he was talented enough to rise to the challenge after he received a ranking from the World Boxing Association. That ranking was later amended and removed, and I don’t think it needs to go back anytime soon after this disappointing showing from “El Gallo,” which showed he’s still far away from the big leagues.
Jake Paul Kept The Fight Alive By Running, But When He Fought, It Was Over
Jake Paul made it to the sixth round against Anthony Joshua, which was a disappointment for the latter, who admitted in the post-fight interview that he hoped to finish things much sooner. That said, it wasn’t that Joshua couldn’t knock out Paul because he was outclassed. It was because the latter kept sticking and running from him for the bulk of the bout.
It seemed to be the only strategy Paul had to survive, but it wasn’t sustainable. In the fifth round, a gassed Paul had no more energy to run and took heavy damage before being knocked out in the sixth. He revealed on X that he had his jaw broken in two places, though someone could argue it might’ve gotten much worse had he tried to box longer.
Paul Resorted To “Trolling” And Other Bush League Tactics Rather Than His Skills
It was clear from the time the bell rang that Jake Paul was outmatched by Anthony Joshua, especially when he resorted to trolling and bush league tactics rather than actual boxing technique. This included a bizarre clinching move in which he’d drop down and act as though he were attempting a wrestling takedown. It happened several times during the event, to the point that the referee had to stop the match and lecture both fighters.
Paul landed a few solid shots on Anthony Joshua, but what I remember most about this fight is the number of times he bulged his eyes and stuck his tongue out after getting rocked. It was an effort to bait and taunt Joshua, but given what was happening, it didn’t look tough. He looked like someone without options, doing what he could to create a moment for a future YouTube video.
After this match, Joshua will enter negotiations to box Tyson Fury, and maybe even work his way back to the top of the sport. As for Jake Paul, he said he’s taking a break, and I imagine his next battle won’t be against someone of Anthony Joshua’s caliber. That’s for the best, but until he can prove he’s worthy of a challenge like that, he’s not worthy of a title shot.
Following the Paul/Joshua match, there are still plenty of great shows and movies headed to Netflix as we move into the new year. We’ll have to see if any more boxing bouts are added to the schedule, and if that happens, I’ll be eager to see who’s involved.
