Anthony Joshua's trainer delivers damning verdict on proposed Jake Paul fight

Independent

4 days ago

Anthony Joshua 's trainer, Ben Davison, has said there is a 'serious risk' attached to a potential fight between Joshua and Jake Paul.
Davison slammed those calling for the fight, saying that safety must come first and the possibility of something going wrong should be enough to stop the fight from happening, but he fears it won't.
Davison told Boxing Scene: 'I don't like all that [a fight with Paul]. First and foremost, how can people even talk about that? Two, where's the safety aspect in boxing? Do you know what I mean? There is a serious risk with something going wrong.
'Unfortunately, it might take something like that for people to be like, 'Hold on, we've got to reconfigure this'. But somebody would pass it, someone would allow it, somebody would sanction it. '
The YouTuber-turned-boxer is coming off an impressive decision victory over former WBC champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr at the end of June, which saw him subsequently ranked at No 14 in the WBA cruiserweight rankings.
But Paul seems to have temporarily abandoned his pursuit of a cruiserweight title in favour of calling out Joshua, and the two have shared exchanges both publicly and privately.
Joshua suffered a devastating knockout loss to Daniel Dubois at Wembley in September last year and has since undergone surgery on his elbow.
He has been linked with many names for his comeback fight, which his promoter Eddie Hearn has hinted at taking place before the end of the year, such as Martin Bakole and, most recently, Olympic gold medalist Tony Yoka.
It appears that a fight between Joshua and Tyson Fury is being targeted for 2026. But Turki Alalsikh has suggested he would like to see both men fight again before sharing the ring, which has sparked rumours of a potential showdown with Paul.
Davison agrees with this sentiment as a result of Joshua's extended time away from the sport, but has not ruled out jumping straight into a big fight next.
Davison explained: 'I think you have to see how he feels. It's been a long time – he's had operations, injuries. It might be a case of he might need a tune-up. Again, in the heavyweights, the landscape can change so quickly, and if an opportunity pops up and you're ready, you never know.'
Watch the biggest fights and best fighters with a DAZN subscription
A DAZN subscription provides access to over 185 fights a year across a range of combat sports from the world's best promoters. For pricing and more information, click here.