Jake Paul had no trouble handling the legendary Mike Tyson last fall, but even after surviving — and beating — one of the sport’s most feared icons, there’s one fighter he openly admits he won’t face.

Paul, who outpointed Tyson by unanimous decision in their eight-round heavyweight showcase at AT&T Stadium, walked away from that November 2024 spectacle brimming with confidence. Yet as he looks ahead to the biggest challenge of his career — stepping in as a sizable underdog against two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on Dec. 19 in Miami — he’s also drawing a clear line on where his ambitions stop.

And that line is named David “El Monstruo” Benavidez.

“There’s a very short list of people that I wouldn’t step into the ring with, and Benavidez is on that list,” Paul told ESPN. Consider that a rare admission from a fighter who has pursued names like Joshua, Canelo Álvarez, Gervonta Davis and Terence Crawford, without hesitation.

Paul has long called Benavidez his favorite fighter to watch, but admiration has turned into realism. He’s seen enough from the undefeated WBC light heavyweight king to know that stylistically, the matchup would be a nightmare.

“That guy is different. His power, his speed, his cardio, his nonstop punching and relentless pressure,” Paul said of Benavidez. “Your punches don’t mean s— to him. He has giant forearms that go from the bottom of his hip to the top of his head. You can’t get through his guard.”

Despite Paul often leaning into what he calls his “delusional optimism” — the same mindset that pushed him to fight with a physically imposing force like Joshua — even he can’t talk himself into believing there’s a path past Benavidez.

“You can punch him all you want, but it’s not affecting him,” Paul said. “Some people are just built different, and Benavidez is one of those guys.”

Paul hasn’t shied away from discussing danger. On his “BS w/ Jake Paul” podcast, he admitted in 2024 that the heaviest shots he’s endured didn’t come from Tyson — but from Tommy Fury, who handed him his lone professional loss in 2023.

“I would say Tommy Fury (hit hardest) because it’s the shots you don’t see. Tommy was a little tricky. Mike’s punches I could see coming. He was strong, but he didn’t land anything clean. So I honestly didn’t feel Mike Tyson’s full power, but that’s good. You don’t want to.”

Preparing for Joshua, one of the era’s most explosive knockout punchers, Paul has tried to replicate that danger in the gym. He has brought in hulking sparring partners like Jared Anderson and Lawrence Okolie to condition his body and sharpen his reactions.

“I had to bring in giants because of this very physically demanding fight,” Paul said. “I had to get used to being punched by heavyweights while also adding muscle.”

Paul shared on social media Thursday that his training includes hitting a heavy bag hard.

Upset incoming. Miami I arrive soon. Friday December 19th is my time. pic.twitter.com/wMMhXnCuGt

— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) December 11, 2025

The camp has delivered its share of hard lessons — and hard shots. Okolie even left him with a black eye. “I’ve learned that I have a chin,” Paul said. “I also learned in this camp that I’m very durable, tough and have a lot of heart. I believe the sparring has been tougher than what the fight with Joshua will be.”

Paul is set to face Joshua in an eight-round heavyweight showdown, promoted as “Jake vs. Joshua: Judgment Day.”