Joshua Says He'll Have An “Early Night” As He “Saves Boxing From Jake Paul”

The fight, one of the most hyped yet also most maligned of the year, will soon be here: Anthony Joshua Vs. Jake Paul. Friday night in Miami, yours to watch on Netflix. And Joshua, who understands the criticism Friday’s fight has got and is getting, said that, in a nutshell, although he knows where the “pugilist purists” are coming from as far as laying into the Paul fight – or “money grab” – he wasn’t going to allow them to stop him from taking what he says is a huge opportunity.

And AJ will be paid handsomely win, lose or draw. But surely Joshua will win, and in a veritable flash, right? If the fight’s on the level, as we have been assured is the case, Joshua, who still hits like a truck, will flatten Paul any time he wishes to do so, so long as he wishes to do so. Hopefully there will be no carrying going on from Joshua. AJ, speaking with Reuters, said he will indeed have an early night on Friday, and that he will “save boxing.”

“I’ve been called out of my hiatus to save boxing again,” Joshua said. “I’m the saviour. I saved boxing from [Francis] Ngannou and now I have to save boxing from Jake Paul. I’ve got to take positives from this: I get to go home early. This is boxing. I can’t go in there thinking about him. I’ll think about myself. He’d do the same thing to me if he could. I understand from the point of view of the pugilist purists this shouldn’t be happening. But God willing I live until I’m 70, I don’t want to look back and say, ‘I wish I took the opportunity and I didn’t do it because the purists said so.”

It might be tough for some fans to disagree with Joshua and what he has said here. Money, and the all-consuming desire to rake it in, can be very powerful and persuasive. And Joshua, the way he has spun it, will get the chance to do the sport a service, that of getting rid of Paul, while he earns a small fortune. It really does seem to be win-win for AJ.

Or is it? The thought of Joshua losing to Paul may be a complete anathema to many, but if the unthinkable did happen, and if Paul managed to land the punch of his life and sensationally decked Joshua, well, what then? Joshua’s reputation would be in pieces, that’s a given. But it won’t happen. Instead, look for Joshua to blast Paul out in similar fashion to the way he blasted out Ngannou. I’m convinced, so long as the fight is on the level, Paul has next to no chance here.

Again, will YOU be watching on Friday night?

James Slater has been a leading voice at Boxing247.com (formerly East Side Boxing) for more than two decades. Widely respected for his extensive knowledge of the sport, he covers breaking news, historical retrospectives, and in-depth fighter interviews with equal authority. Over the course of his career, Slater has spoken with world champions, top contenders, rising prospects, and numerous boxing legends, providing readers with trusted insight and a longstanding passion for the fight game. His work remains a cornerstone of Boxing247’s editorial coverage.

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