The result was expected, but hats off to Jake Paul for surviving way longer than anyone expected against Anthony Joshua. Many counted him out in the first two rounds, but the YouTuber-turned-boxer put up a courageous performance, and now, in his usual controversial fashion, he slammed the critics with his latest post.
After the bout, Jake Paul posted on X: “I was paid to lose? Hahaha“ mocking all the accusations of people that said this bout was rigged. Paul had a better performance than most wanted him to have. The narrative behind this fight was that if it was not rigged, Joshua should’ve knocked him out quickly, or if it was rigged, then Paul would’ve won.
However, Paul tried to circle the ring, move a lot, clinch and even connected a couple of good combinations against Joshua. Ultimately, Joshua’s experience and power was too much and he ended up finding a vicious KO win in the sixth round.
Thanks to Paul, Joshua’s credibility might have taken a hit
Even if Paul lost by KO, he still shocked the world by hanging in there way longer than expected. While now he has somewhat silenced his critics, the other side of the coin means AJ’s credibility took a hit. Under no circumstance should Paul survive this long in a fight like this, and he did.
Even Joshua himself admitted it wasn’t his best performance, but he blamed the 15-month layoff and ring rust. Now, he should be fighting Tyson Fury, one of the best heavyweights of all time, and he might not have the street cred he otherwise would. Still, once Joshua found his footing and rhythm, he dominated until finding the huge right hand that put Paul out.
Paul presented a way different style than what Joshua has faced
Joshua is used to fight heavyweights. Yes, more powerful than Paul, but yes, way slower and less mobile than Paul. It wasn’t just the 15 month layoff, it was also the style. Joshua is not used to see his opponents move around the ring that much.
That also forced Joshua to adapt to a style he is not used to face. Joshua is accustomed to fight in the pocket, exchanging powerful blows within distance and using head movement to avoid and counterpunch. Against Paul, he had to cut the ring, find angles, and stay patient. It wasn’t as easy as expected, but Joshua found ways to adjust and get the win.