Boxing
Is there a bigger fight than Anthony Joshua versus Jake Paul? Ex-champion weighs in on potential super bout
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Ex-middleweight champion Darren Barker has weighed in on the appeal of a potential super bout between Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul.
Old-school boxing aficionados may scoff at the idea, but a showdown between the two-time heavyweight champion and 'The Problem Child' appears to be edging closer.
Joshua, who underwent elbow surgery in May, is seeking a return to winning ways after a fifth-round stoppage loss to Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium last September.
And Paul, a former social media star-turned-boxer, has emerged as a likely candidate for the 35-year-old Brit to face next — raising eyebrows about what is a mismatch on paper.
DAZNBut while the validity of a money-spinning clash continues to divide opinion, former IBF strap holder Barker, 43, believes fight fans will find it hard to ignore.
He told DAZN News: "First off, you need to ask is there a bigger fight than Anthony Joshua versus Jake Paul?
"We know what a huge draw Joshua is. Thousands of people come out to watch him fight, no matter where it is.
"But in Paul, he’s facing a fighter that has a huge following through various other outlets, who brings a whole new audience to that spectacle."
Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
Like many in boxing, Barker is in no doubt of the outcome should Joshua lock horns with the former content creator.
He added: "I think everybody’s fully aware of what will happen in that fight. Joshua will destroy Paul. But if you go back to the Roman days, or indeed the start of time, we want to see a brutal finish.
"People didn’t go to the Colosseum to see a gladiator outpoint a lion. They wanted to see blood and guts. That’s what you’ll see if Joshua fights Paul."
Questions were asked last year when Joshua became the second pro boxer to face fearsome MMA fighter Francis Ngannou.
But whereas Ngannou went the distance with an out-of-sorts Tyson Fury in October 2023, AJ dispatched him in explosive fashion inside two rounds.
In Barker’s eyes, that is further proof that Paul would be on a hiding to nothing if he shares the ring with a man who won Olympic gold in 2012.
He said: "Who wins between Ngannou and Paul in a boxing match? Ngannou. And we saw what AJ did with Ngannou.
"The same thing is going to happen between AJ and Paul, or worse. It’s mad but it would sell out Wembley twice and do ridiculous numbers for so many reasons.
"It doesn’t end well for Paul. He telegraphs his shots and he’s not fast."
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