The time for Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua to face off inside the ring is nearly upon us. The two headlined Friday’s Netflix event at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida in a match that has some people worried about Paul’s wellbeing.
Fighters and analysts have weighed in on the match and you can add UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall to the growing list.
“This is a crazy fight. Isn’t it? Like, if you would have told me this five – How long has Jake Paul been in it now? Five years. If you would have told me this five years ago, I would have never, never thought that this was possible,” Aspinall said on his YouTube channel.
“Anthony Joshua, former Olympic gold medalist, two-time heavyweight champion of the world, fought all the greats of this era apart from Tyson Fury. And now he’s fighting Jake Paul who is essentially social media guy, former Disney guy, but also, I’ve got to give him his credit. He’s a pretty good boxer. Like, he’s coming into it. He’s getting better every fight it seems. Questionable opponents.”
Paul will be the smaller man for the first time in his career. Joshua is five inches taller and weighed in 26 pounds heavier. He’ll also enjoy a six-inch reach advantage.
Related: Francis Ngannou gives his prediction for Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua
“The size difference is massive especially like Jake Paul’s been fighting cruiserweight. Fought below that as well. Anthony Joshua is a natural heavyweight,” Aspinall said.
The size difference may not be that much of determining factor in the fight, but Aspinall believes Joshua’s experience will be.
“Sometimes if you’re a big guy it’s harder fighting the small guys who move around a lot. Maybe Jake Paul’s going to get on his bike a little bit and it’s going to take Anthony Joshua a little time to get to him,” Aspinall said.
“But with the opposition Anthony Joshua has been fighting over his career from the Olympics to the heavyweight champion of the world, in my opinion, he shouldn’t have any problems getting to him. It might take him a round or two, might take him a little bit more, but in my opinion, Anthony Joshua should blow him out after a couple of rounds … He should win pretty easily.”
