- - Boxing experts see a Jake Paul beatdown from Anthony Joshua coming

Josh Peter, USA TODAYDecember 10, 2025 at 3:04 AM

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The upcoming fight between Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua has done more than generate public interest.

It's fueled skepticism, too.

Hakim Rahman, the retired heavyweight champion, captured the sentiment when he told USA TODAY Sports, "It should be an easy fight for Anthony Joshua. I mean, Jake Paul never fought anybody on that level in their prime or remotely useful."

So, if Joshua doesn’t win the eight-round heavyweight fight decisively? "We need some investigation going on," Rahman said.

Such talk is nothing new for Paul, who heard similar chatter before and after he beat 58-year-old Mike Tyson in 2024. Once again, the insinuations amount to nothing more than speculation, with no one having presented evidence of any match-rigging. Also, Lou Durkin, president of the Association of Ringside Physicians, told USA TODAY Sports he thinks Paul has "real skills" and there's a good chance the fight with Joshua will go the distance.

But this time the dynamic is different.

Unlike Tyson, Joshua is 36 and still looks powerful and explosive.

Also, Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) has entered each of his previous fights as the favorite. This time, he'll be a significant underdog. Not to mention, he'll face a massive size disadvantage. (Paul is 6-1 and expects to weigh in at no more than 220 pounds. Joshua is 6-6 and will be allowed to weigh in at a maximum of 245 pounds.)

With the fight shaping up to be a mismatch, at least on paper, notable retired fighters Gerry Cooney and Ray Mercer made comments similar to Rahman, suggesting that the integrity of the eight-round heavyweight bout will be tied to the outcome.

1 / 11How much taller is Anthony Joshua than Jake Paul? See them face offJake Paul and Anthony Joshua face off after a press conference announcing their heavyweight boxing match at Kayesa Center Nov. 21, 2025, in Miami.'A little bit of a joke'

Gerry Cooney fought Larry Holmes for the WBC heavyweight title and The Ring heavyweight title in 1982, and he fought Michael Spinks for The Ring heavyweight title. He lost both bouts but did beat former champions such as Ken Norton and top contenders Ron Lyle and Jimmy Young.

"Obviously, Tyson could’ve ripped that kid apart in one round, right?" said Cooney, 69.

Cooney then referred to Paul's fight during the pandemic in 2020 on the undercard of Tyson’s fight against Roy Jones Jr. Paul delivered one of the night's highlights with a brutal knockout of retired NBA player Nate Robinson.

"Jake Paul was great," Cooney said. "He gave us entertainment for people. But now it's becoming a little bit of a joke, I feel. I mean, Joshua's going in there with him and he's probably getting $20 million, $30 million, so he's going to do whatever they want him to do, or maybe not."

'He can actually box'

Ray Mercer won the WBO heavyweight title in 1981 and defended it with a victory over Tommy Morrison. He also fought the likes of Larry Holmes, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis – and lost to them all.

Mercer expressed praise for Paul.

"I think he can actually box, but just not on the level of the people that he's boxing," said Mercer, 64. "You know what I'm saying? If he joined a tournament like the Golden Gloves or something like that, he might do good. But the people that he's fighting, all the champions and all that, I mean, come on."

On Paul’s X account, he has posted images of himself looking up at Joshua and Sylvester Stallone (playing Rocky) looking up at Ivan Drago, the supposedly invincible Russian. Rocky defeats Drago in "Rocky IV" and Drago reappears in Creed II.

"You got Sly Stallone come out with movies, Creed and all that," Mercer said. "That's what that level is on. I hope (Joshua) got enough money so he can just say the hell with it and knock his ass out."

'Should be an easy fight'

Rahman, a two-time heavyweight champion, won the unified title in 2021 and won the WBC title a second time in 1986.

He pointed out that Joshua won an Olympic gold medal (in 2012) and won the unified heavyweight title twice, whereas Paul has fought professionally 13 times with no amateur career. (Beyond a victory over a YouTuber, that is.)

"I really want to see the fight," Rahman said, "but I just feel like it should be an easy fight for Anthony Joshua. So, I mean, he got to win this fight with ease."

"I don't believe it should be a competitive fight. It should not," Rahman added. "I feel like if Anthony Joshua don't go in there and manhandle (Paul) and maul him and get him out of there in one or two rounds, then we got some questions to be asked."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is the fix in with Jake Paul-Anthony Joshua fight? Experts weigh in

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