Jake Paul reacts to loss to Anthony Joshua for first time
Jake Paul might be gunning for Francis Ngannou next.
This past weekend, Paul took on his biggest boxing challenge yet, facing off with Olympic gold medalist and former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua; it did not go great for him. Paul, who was significantly smaller than Joshua, spent most of the early rounds minimizing engagements and wrestling before getting brutally stopped in the sixth round with a right hand that broke his jaw in two places. But despite the poor outcome, Paul remains upbeat in the aftermath.
“I mean, it’s not that hard to get your ass beat [laughs],” Paul joked, speaking with his brother, Logan Paul, on the IMPAULSIVE podcast. “Actually, I won two rounds, then he won two, then I got dropped. But yeah, I was doing good. I just think my cardio, the mental pressure of the big guy, and sparring the big people, is different than the 10-ounce gloves. So I was feeling his power more. But it was great experience. I learned a lot in there.”
No official scorecards have been released for the bout, so it’s unclear if Paul had actually won any rounds, but the YouTuber-turned-boxer clearly feels pretty good about his performance, especially given the circumstances. Originally, Paul was set to face lightweight Gervonta Davis in an exhibition bout in November, but that bout was cancelled after Davis was named in a civil suit alleging domestic violence. Instead, Paul and his promotion, Most Valuable Promotions, pushed the event back to December, and he went from fighting a lightweight to a former heavyweight champion, without proper preparation.
“It was just mental,” Paul said. “It was just like, him imposing his will on me, and being massive, and the big shots landing. Then, yeah, it pretty much all goes downhill from there.
“I wish I had more than three weeks to prepare, to maybe put on some more muscle to be able to sit there and hit him. And I should have gone to altitude to train. That was my biggest mistake. I felt good about [my camp], yeah. But I just needed to have that extra level of cardio for this, and that only can come from going to altitude.
“It’s a great experience overall to be in there with someone that’s that good. I learned a lot. I see where I could have done better. So, I’m a little disappointed, but I also know how good he is. But I had him wobbled at one point. I had him wobbled.”
And though he may have lost, Paul did at least accomplish something he set out to do before the fight started: survive for longer than former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, who lost to Joshua by brutal second-round knockout in March of 2024.
“I told everyone that I would do better than Francis, and that Francis kinda got no chin,” Paul said. “Francis is low-key soft.”
After Paul’s fight with Davis fell through, Ngannou was contacted to see if he might be interested in fighting Paul, carrying on Paul’s trend of boxing MMA fighters; however, “The Predator” turned down the offer. While the two have previously supported each other at times, things have also been combative at points, and now it seems Paul wants to take that into the ring.
“I’ll fight Francis,” Paul said. “That’s a good idea, actually. I think maybe now he’ll take it, and be like, ‘Oh, shit.’
Category: General Sports
