Before we get into it, let me start with a proper apology — because I know exactly what you’re thinking:
“Chris, mate, you’ve been covering this fight for months.”
And you’re right.
From the first ridiculous rumour, to the early whispers, to the contract talk, to the denials, to the leaks, right up to Sky Sports finally confirming it — I’ve followed this circus from start to finish. And every time, I’ve said the same thing:
It makes absolutely no sense in boxing terms.
But now the story is fully real, fully confirmed, and fully unavoidable, we need the final word — because Anthony Joshua had two paths laid out in front of him:
- Agit Kabayel – a legitimate heavyweight contender who puts him back in the world-title picture
- Jake Paul – a YouTuber who gives him nothing to gain and everything to lose
And Joshua chose option 2.
Let’s dig into why that decision says everything about modern boxing.
The Kabayel Fight: The Only One That Made Sense for Joshua’s Career
Agit Kabayel wasn’t just bluffing when he spoke to Sky Sports.
He genuinely believed he was next for AJ — and in all honesty, he should have been.
Kabayel: Joshua should be fighting me
Kabayel is:
- Undefeated
- A real top-10 heavyweight
- Coming off the biggest win of his career
- Someone the WBC actually likes
- The type of dangerous, live opponent who tests whether Joshua is genuinely rebuilding
Beating him — or even just fighting him — puts Joshua straight back into the world-title conversation.
It says: “I want the Fury fight.”
It says: “I want belts.”
It says: “I want to be world champion again.”
But here’s the truth:
Kabayel was the boxing fight.
Jake Paul is the business fight.
And Joshua has chosen business.
Joshua vs Jake Paul: Entertaining? Yes.
Respectable? No.
Dangerous? Absolutely.**
Sky Sports confirmed what most of us hoped was nonsense:
➡️ Joshua to fight Jake Paul on 19 December
Let’s be blunt here:
Jake Paul genuinely believes he can knock out Anthony Joshua.
And he doesn’t believe it because of logic or evidence.
He believes it because he thinks if he lands one single clean shot, AJ will fold like a cheap suit.
One shot.
One punch.
One moment.
That’s all Jake thinks he needs.
And as deluded as it sounds, this is the same man who celebrates his power every time he lands a jab.
But I must be the only person who remembers what happened last time he fought anything even resembling a heavyweight — Tommy Fury. A man who’s barely a cruiserweight and carries zero knockout threat.
What happened?
- Jake got outboxed
- Jake got hurt
- Jake got dropped
- Jake got exposed
And that was against someone nowhere near AJ’s level.
Now imagine him stepping in with a 240lb former unified heavyweight champion.
This is where the fight becomes genuinely dangerous — not because Jake Paul is a threat to Joshua, but because if something weird happens, if AJ gets clipped, slips, or gets caught off-balance, the entire sport becomes a joke overnight.
And this is where I repeat what I’ve said in every single blog I’ve written about this stupid trilogy of stories:
Jake Paul has nothing to lose and everything to win.**
Joshua has everything to lose and nothing to win.
If AJ wins?
“Of course he did, he’s meant to.”
If AJ looks rusty or human?
His career credibility gets torched.
If — God forbid — Jake Paul lands a fluke and wins?
Boxing becomes a global punchline.
And don’t kid yourself — Jake Paul will celebrate like he’s just stopped prime Lennox Lewis.
That’s the real risk here.
What We Actually Know About the Fight So Far
Here’s where things stand:
- 19 December
- Miami (big venue, big show, big money)
- Heavyweight limit
- Jake Paul around 210–215lbs
- Joshua around 240–245lbs
- No title
- No eliminator
- No ranking benefit
- Just a gigantic circus promising gigantic numbers
For a deeper look at the styles and motivations, see the earlier CMBoxing analysis:
Anthony Joshua vs Jake Paul – Miami Fight Analysis
What This Tells Us About Joshua’s Ambition
AJ talks constantly about:
- Wanting another title
- Wanting to fight Fury
- Wanting one more legacy run
- Wanting to get back on top
But choosing Jake Paul over Kabayel tells us the opposite.
It says:
- He doesn’t want a live heavyweight right now
- He doesn’t want risk until he knows he’s back to 100%
- He doesn’t want anything that could derail him
- He wants the money — not the mountain
And again — that’s his right.
He’s earned the commercial power to do whatever he likes.
But let’s not pretend this fight gets him closer to being heavyweight champion again.
Because it doesn’t.
At all.
Not even slightly.
Conclusion: Kabayel Was the Path to Belts.
Jake Paul Is the Path to Clicks.
One fight rebuilds a career.
The other rebuilds a bank account.
One proves ambition.
The other proves popularity.
One puts Joshua back toward a world title.
The other puts boxing back into the entertainment category.
And that’s the truth of this whole saga:
boxing lost, business won.
Joshua vs Jake Paul will sell.
It’ll trend.
It’ll dominate the headlines.
But it won’t get AJ any closer to the summit of the heavyweight division — and it won’t tell us a single meaningful thing about where he stands as a contender.
The only man who comes out of this with anything to gain is Jake Paul.
And that says it all.
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