I’ll stomp all over ‘serious fighter’ Paul – Joshua

Briton Anthony Joshua said he will “stomp all over” Jake Paul and “break” the American as the pair came face-to-face to promote next month’s heavyweight fight.

Former two-time unified heavyweight champion Joshua meets YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul – in what is, on paper, a mammoth mismatch – at Miami’s Kaseya Center on 19 December.

“I’m going to break his face and break his body up. I’m here to prove I’m the better fighter,” Joshua, 35, said.

“I’ll stomp all over him. That’s a fighter’s mentality.

“I’m going to really want to hurt him. That’s what I want to do.”

Despite those words, a relaxed Joshua and social media star Paul – usually known for his theatrics – exchanged pleasantries and kept it respectful with each other.

Paul instead targeted Joshua’s former opponent Francis Ngannou and called him “a joke” after the Cameroonian declined a fight offer.

He claimed the December bout had also been offered to Tommy Fury and Ryan Garcia but they were “scared”, while pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford had agreed to fight him next year.

Joshua, meanwhile, took aim at British rival Tyson Fury – Tommy’s brother – and refused a £1m bet ‘The Gypsy King’ says he will place on a Paul win.

“[Paul] is better than Tyson Fury – he’s actually sitting here. I give him credit for that,” Joshua said.

Despite saying he intends to punish Paul, Joshua declined to speak negatively about his opponent’s boxing ability. “Jake is a serious fighter,” he said.

Paul – who first rose to fame on the Disney Channel – has mostly boxed MMA fighters or faded names since turning professional. He lost to Tommy Fury in 2023.

Still, the novice remains one of boxing’s biggest commercial attractions, regularly earning huge paydays.

The 28-year-old predicted a knockout win in round four or five and claimed he would derail the long-awaited Joshua–Fury fight, which is reportedly in the works for 2026.

“It’s going to be me versus Tyson Fury next year,” Paul said.

The surreal nature of the whole affair is heightened by Paul’s previous plan to fight a lightweight boxer in Gervonta Davis this month, a bout scrapped after Davis faced a domestic abuse lawsuit filed by his ex-girlfriend.

As part of the stipulations, Joshua, who tipped the scales at more than 17st 12lb (113kg) in his past three outings, must come in below 17st 7lbs (111kg) and both fighters will wear regulation 10oz gloves.

Paul suggested he was willing “to die in the ring” – a particularly coarse comment given the safety concerns surrounding the fight amid the gulf in experience and size between the two men.

“This is going to be fun. I want him to cut me up. I want him to break my face,” he said.

Joshua – who said he planned to fight in Saudi Arabia before the end of the year anyway – is reportedly set to earn about £36.9m ($50m) for December’s bout.

The 2012 Olympic gold medallist has been out of the ring since losing to Daniel Dubois in September 2024.

He revealed he has been training with former opponent and current unified world champion Oleksandr Usyk’s coaching team for this bout and will not have Ben Davison in his corner.

“I took 12 months out of the game and realigned my vision board,” he said in his usual philosophical way.