Anthony Joshua could have a lot on the line in a relatively low-risk fight against Jake Paul.
Gervonta Davis, who recently shared his thoughts on the fight, was replaced by the former heavyweight champion in a shocking turn of events.
The reaction to the bout being made official immediately led to ‘The Problem Child’ receiving a lot of credit for taking on an opponent whom very few are giving him any chance of beating.
While Joe Rogan believes that Paul made an error when negotiating the bout, no additional rules are going to change the fact that he’s facing a much larger and skillful competitor on December 19.
However, with many believing that it’s a colossal mismatch, that puts a lot of pressure on ‘AJ’ to prove that on fight night, which could become a concern.
- LATEST NEWS: Jake Paul laughs at ‘dummies’ after big announcement for Anthony Joshua card is not what many thought
Do you think Jake Paul can upset Anthony Joshua?
Dan Hardy believes Anthony Joshua’s brand could be significantly damaged by a small moment
As the reaction from fans to Anthony Joshua’s physique shows, it only takes one look at the men who are going to face one another on December 19 to know that the fight isn’t even.
That’s before you factor in that ‘AJ’ is a former two-time heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist.
However, Joshua himself has admitted that he needs to “destroy” Jake Paul in order to live up to the expectations that are hanging over this fight.
Will Anthony Joshua ‘destroy’ Jake Paul?
Do you believe he will land a violent knockout over the YouTuber and end his boxing career?
Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say
That’s where UFC legend Dan Hardy believes that Paul will benefit in this matchup, as long as he doesn’t get knocked out in brutal fashion which is far easier said than done.
The PFL commentator used Tyson Fury’s controversial win over Francis Ngannou to explain how this fight could quickly turn into a “terrible idea” for Joshua and “backfire” on him.
Fury may have got the win but the main thing that people remember from that bout is that he was dropped by the former UFC champion.
Hardy believes that even a slight moment of success for Paul is going to become the defining narrative following their clash on Netflix.
“This layers pressure on Anthony Joshua,” Hardy told Bloody Elbow ahead of PFL Lyon on December 13. “Of course, everyone’s going to expect Joshua to absolutely smash him but if Jake Paul at some point gets a bit close and connects on his chin and he wobbles just a little bit, like man, the brand of Anthony Joshua is going to shake alongside his legs and that’s not a good thing for him. That’s a lot of pressure for him to wake up on fight day and think about.”
- LATEST NEWS: Francis Ngannou confirms PFL contract ends before the UFC White House event while opening up on regrets
Dan Hardy believes that Jake Paul has been smart to highlight this ahead of the fight
Dan Hardy added that he believes Jake Paul has already started to put this thought in people’s minds with his actions at their first face-off.
He thinks that ‘The Problem Child’ went out of his way to draw attention to the staggering height difference between them, which will only lead to more people being convinced that he doesn’t have a chance.
“He did it at the face off,” Hardy recalled. “I thought it was a very clever, well thought out process of him walking up to him, looking him in the eyes and then looking at his chest like, ‘This is actually how big I am compared to this guy.’”
Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say