Boxing is not a game, you do not play boxing. It is known as a discipline for one major reason: get it wrong, and it can kill you. We are in the midst of celebrities treating boxing like reality TV shows, using it to raise their profile and make a quick buck.
Jake Paul is fighting Anthony Joshua later this month, a sentence that should not exist in a sane world. I may not be a fan of Paul, but he is at risk of serious long-term damage to his health.
Boxers are not regular people, they shouldn’t be treated the same way you treat a footballer. If you play a football match against Haaland, the worst-case scenario is you get embarrassed: If you box Anthony Joshua, the worst-case scenario is you die.
Boxing’s reputation has taken flack recently from the wider general public due to these stupid displays of ill-thought matchups. Paul fighting 58-year-old Mike Tyson was bad enough. The boxing legend was clearly in no physical condition to be in the ring.
Large paydays are ironically hurting the sport, with casual fans and the wider sporting community labelling these events ‘money grabs’ and even further speculation about the validity of the fights. Shawn Porter has said if Paul wins, the fight has been rigged.
Paul has been accused of paying off almost all of his opponents.
Deontay Wilder took unrelenting criticism from the wider boxing community for stating “I want a body on my record”, the reason being, it’s plausible he could actually kill someone in the ring. That is not the point of boxing.
Wilder was rightly criticised for his comments, people have lost their lives and sustained life-changing injuries. The families of deceased boxers will be more than happy to put someone in their place to make light of someone else’s life.
Earlier this year, Nigerian light heavyweight boxer Gabriel Olanrewaju died in the ring. There was not one singular blow which downed him, instead, he collapsed towards the end of a round. Olanrewaju knew what he was doing. He was the West Africa light heavyweight champion.
Who in Jake Paul’s camp thought fighting Anthony Joshua was a good idea? I almost respect how someone’s pure incompetence allowed them to fall upwards to this point.
Paul has seen some success, beating Julio César Chávez Jr, Mike Tyson, Michael Perry, Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley, Ben Askren, and Nate Robinson. However, Askren, Anderson, and Woodley are MMA fighters, not boxers, Tyson was 58, Perry has had two pro fights, losing both, and Robinson is a basketball player.
The only impressive name on Paul’s knock-out list is Julio César Chávez Jr, but Chávez Jr was fighting a number of weight classes higher than his usual level. The only professional fighter he has fought from his own weight category, Tommy Fury, he lost. And describing Tommy Fury as a professional boxer is generous.
Enter Anthony Joshua; Dillian Whyte, Wladimir Klitschko, Carlos Takam, Kubrat Pulev, and Otto Wallin all got knocked out against the Brit. Add in decisions against Jermaine Franklin Jr, Andy Ruiz, and Joseph Parker and you have one hell of a mismatch.
I neglected to include Francis Ngannou in that list, because he is not a boxer. Despite being the UFC Heavyweight champion, Joshua made very light work of the Cameroonian. Ngannou hit the floor three times in two rounds, the third being the final time – his legs buckled underneath him and he was rendered unconscious, sparking instant medical attention.
God help Jake Paul.
This fight will make fox hunts look even-sided. People who decide to tune in, and no doubt there will be a lot of them, will not witness a masterclass in boxing, but rather a lesson in health and safety procedures.
Are the millions worth not remembering how to say your own name? Further to the point, why do fans want this?
Joshua has failed to face either Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder over his career. The heavyweight division has struggled in recent years, failing to have many big matchups. Riyadh season has started to change this, but the underwhelming matchups have created an appetite for any fight.
Fight fans do not want celebrity match-ups, and casuals would fall in love with boxing if fighters with real quality actually faced each other regularly. Jake Paul is a symptom of a dysfunctional sport, but he is not the root cause.
The way to save boxing from this farce? Have the big-name fighters actually fight each other.
Paul is a major celebrity, anything he does will always outshine viewership of almost anyone else. His outrageous viewership and PPV buys have nothing to do with his ability and everything to do with his celebrity, he would do the same in any sport or field he entered.
Whilst Paul’s numbers may remain unattainable for the average boxing promotion, that is not the case for regular celebrity bouts. C-list celebrities can only eclipse mainstream boxing viewership as boxing fans are so starved for good fights. Make the best fight the best, and the viewership will look after itself.
