Jake Paul is staring down a night of potential 'torture' as he prepares for his audacious heavyweight clash with Anthony Joshua, despite enlisting a team of secret weapons to aid his cause.
A Daunting Task in Miami
Defying near-universal advice from the boxing world, the sport's chief disruptor will share the ring with the two-time world champion in Miami on Friday, December 26th, 2025. Paul, whose previous foes have included retired MMA fighters and a novice in Tommy Fury, now faces a still-destructive Anthony Joshua, a fighter operating at the peak of his powers.
The physical disparity was stark during fight week, with the 6ft 6in Briton towering over the American. Despite a 245lbs weight restriction, Joshua is expected to significantly outweigh Paul. His chilling two-round demolition of former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in March 2024 serves as a clear warning of his intent.
Paul's High-Profile Sparring Strategy
In a bid to bridge the vast experience gap, Paul's camp has turned to some of boxing's biggest heavyweights for sparring. He has enlisted Lawrence Okolie – once a protégé of Joshua – along with contenders Frank Sanchez and Jared Anderson to simulate his opponent's size and style in training.
The sessions have left their mark, with Paul recently sporting a black eye he credited to Okolie and a crooked nose from being 'cracked' by Sanchez. However, boxing analyst and former champion Johnny Nelson is deeply sceptical about the true nature of this work.
"I don't think he has got any proper work in with these lads," Nelson told Metro. "They are there to simulate the fight, the movement, the size, the reach, the pace. I think that is what Jake Paul has done here. But that is as far as it is going."
Nelson believes genuine, pressurised sparring would have left Paul with far more severe damage. "If they do that to Paul and put a similar pressure on him, Jake would have a lot more than a twisted nose," he added, suggesting any heavy shots were likely accidental.
The Call for a Punishing Lesson
Further rumours suggest Paul has also sought insight from Don Charles, the trainer who guided Daniel Dubois to a knockout victory over Joshua in September 2024. While Paul possesses power, replicating Dubois's feat is considered a monumental task.
For Nelson, the objective for Joshua should not be a swift knockout. He advocates for a prolonged, punishing display to serve as a definitive deterrent to Paul and other crossover celebrities.
"I would advise Joshua to torture him," Nelson stated. "Don't knock him out in one round... Anthony Joshua must take the chance to absolutely torture him in there as long as you can. Back off, then torture him again like a cat with a mouse, mentally, physically and emotionally."
He argues that making Paul quit would be more damaging to the YouTube star's fighting psyche than a quick loss. "It might be the lesson Jake needs to learn," Nelson concluded, suggesting such a humbling could keep Paul "in his lane going forward."
After five years as a thorn in the side of boxing purists, Jake Paul has finally secured his dream fight against a modern great. The coming Friday in Miami will reveal whether that dream swiftly transforms into a nightmare.
