As he gears up for his massive fight against Jake Paul, Anthony Joshua talks about what is at stake for his legacy.
Anthony Joshua Talks Fight With Jake Paul
Polymarket got me right for fight night ❄️ pic.twitter.com/BFwvIuqfBr
— Anthony Joshua (@anthonyjoshua) December 17, 2025
Joshua is not just expecting to defeat Paul; he plans to knock him out.
The odds agree with Joshua’s sentiment, as Polymarket lists a knockout victory from the British boxer at -270.
Having held the unified heavyweight championship for two title reigns, Joshua has the skills and experience to beat Paul. Joshua took things a step further by saying a win against Paul is not enough.
AJ has to knock him out early.
“Let’s taper what failure is. The first level of failure is the loss. There’s nothing I can do to reverse that. That’s the worst outcome,” Joshua told CBS Sports. “The next level of failure is a competitive eight-round fight — that’s a big failure on my part. There are so many different levels of failure within this. It’s a serious time for me. There’s a lot at stake, and I don’t want to lose myself.”
Joshua is 28-4 with 25 of his wins coming by knockout. One of those knockouts came in the second round against Francis Ngannou, who had one professional boxing match under his belt.
Joshua credits his preparation for achieving success.
I don’t train this way for Jake. I do it because I know what I expect of myself,” Joshua said. “That’s why when people say, ‘If it goes past one round, it’s a failure [for Joshua],’ I have those same expectations. I get it. I’m not arguing, saying, ‘It’s a fight! Anything can happen! It can go the full eight rounds. How is that a failure?’ Trust me, I hear you loud and clear because I have those same expectations of myself.”
Can Jake Paul do the Unthinkable?
Joshua said he’s going to take my soul. Cheers buddy. MVP Face 2 Face https://t.co/blimTSAUwC
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) December 15, 2025
This is boxing, so there is always the “what if” factor. What if Paul beats Joshua?
In terms of boxing upsets, it would be right up there with Buster Douglas beating Mike Tyson.
Paul is 12-1, with seven wins by knockout. Paul has mostly fought aging boxers and former MMA fighters.
Facing Joshua is a gigantic step up in competition.
Paul definitely deserves a lot of credit for agreeing to this fight. He could have continued fighting inferior competition.
Instead, he’ll try to slay the giant and take down the former heavyweight champion.
Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 19, at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. The main fight card starts at 8 p.m. ET and streams live globally on Netflix.
