The boxer who lost to Tommy Fury is fighting the pugilist who flatlined Francis Ngannou.
That’s a matchup that doesn’t make much sense for boxing hall of famer and former featherweight titleholder Barry McGuigan, who suggests a backstage agreement between Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua may protect “El Gallo” during their Netflix headliner on Sat., Dec. 19, 2025 at Kaseya Center in Miami.
Like the Beatles said, you’re gonna carry that weight.
“It’s hard to believe they wouldn’t have signed some sort of caveat,” McGuigan told Betway. “Look at it coldly: how is Joshua being matched with this guy? Look at what Joshua did to Francis Ngannou — a giant of a man, built like a tank, who went 12 rounds with Tyson Fury, dropped him, gave him hell — and Joshua blasted him out in a couple of rounds. Then you think: Tommy Fury beat Jake Paul. So, how is Jake Paul going to get through Joshua? It almost seems ridiculous — so ridiculous that it’s hard to believe there isn’t some agreement saying, ‘I won’t go flat out with you.‘ I’m not saying that is the case … just that, looking at it, he could get badly hurt. Joshua is in a different league. Paul goes from fighting journeymen to fighting Anthony Joshua? What’s going on? But does he really want to put his life on the line? Anthony Joshua hits a normal man on the street—he’d knock him cold. I’m not saying Jake Paul is ‘normal,‘ but he’s not a heavyweight. He’s more of a cruiserweight.”
Paul opened as the +550 underdog.
“Look at his performances,” McGuigan added. “It looked like Mike Tyson was just fooling around with him — and Tyson was 58 or so. And all the boxing people know what’s going to happen in December. I don’t dislike anyone. Jake Paul’s a great character, has a massive fanbase, but if it’s all on the level, he runs the risk of getting badly hurt. That’s why it’s hard to believe there isn’t some undisclosed agreement. Of course, they must have said something like, ‘I’ll ease off, I’ll miss with shots, I won’t load up.‘ Because if Joshua hits him clean once, in the right place, he could break his jaw, knock him out cold, put him in a bad state. It becomes a freak show if that happens. Anyone with any sense knows that if Joshua hits him like he hit Francis Ngannou, he’ll knock him into next week. That’s what I can’t get my head around.”
He’s not the only one.
Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) is not the first heavyweight titan to step into the ring with Paul (12-1, 7 KOs). Late last year, “El Gallo” went eight rounds with former WBC champion Mike Tyson. The bout was a total clown show and “Iron” barely threw any punches, leading critics to accuse Paul and Co. of fixing the fight.
According to McGuigan, the showdown between Paul and Joshua may prove to be a repeat performance.
