Jake Paul has clarified why he stuck his tongue out at Anthony Joshua moments before being knocked out.
Last week saw the YouTuber-turned-boxer step into the ring against former heavyweight champion AJ in a wildly mismatched fight, which several people had dubbed dangerous.
The bout, which had been streamed live on Netflix, ended as many expected when Joshua knocked out Paul in the sixth round, with the 28-year-old left needing surgery after his jaw was broken in two places.
However, Paul didn't appear to have been fazed by the outcome of the brutal fight and resulting injuries, which earned him a eye-watering amount of cash, during a new interview on his brother's Impaulsive podcast.
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The interview saw Paul address what he believed was his biggest 'mistake' in the run up to the fight, as well as the much-talked-about decision to stick his tongue out at Joshua.
The moment has been widely talked about online, with viral theories speculating whether or not it a 'signal' of some sort to Joshua.
However, Paul has since cleared this up, saying the gesture was simply him 'trying to have fun'.
"I was just trying to have fun," he told co-host Mike Majlak, who was worried the move would 'make him [Joshua] mad'.
"That's what it's all about at the end of the day," Paul continued. "And I did have fun. I love this sport and I love this job. It doesn't even feel like a job, it's f**king awesome.
"I had a blast in there. Win, lose of draw this sport has done so much for me."
Now I'm sure that most of us wouldn't consider having our jaws broken in two places a job which is 'awesome', but each to their own.
The comments follow reports that Paul's team were looking to file a lawsuit online commentary speculating that the outcome of his fight with Joshua had been pre-planned, which includes claims about Paul's tongue wagging.
"Our lawyers are actively going after a number of people. One who claims to be a lawyer himself online," Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions, told Ariel Helwani.
"I don't remember the name or the handle, but it was something that had like 200,000 likes. And basically, this post said there was an agreement for AJ not to knock out Jake, but AJ disregarded the agreement and decided to not get his payday, but knock out Jake Paul."
Paul made no reference to the reports of an upcoming lawsuit in the podcast, instead going on to say he was 'happy and grateful' that this was his life.
"All the life memories that are created through these fight weeks and everything that we've done is just super awesome and I'm going to be able to look back on my life and just be really happy one day," he added.
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In the meantime, Paul will need to rely on his love for the sport to get through his recovery, as the influencer is on a liquid diet while he recovers from having several teeth removed and four titanium plates inserted into his jaw.
The impact of the surgery was evident in the interview, with Paul having to pause the interview at one point as he 'can’t really f***ing talk'.
"It’s like there’s a baseball in there," he said of the injuries. "Four titanium plates. It’s literally snapped, bro, completely snapped."
Topics: Jake Paul, Anthony Joshua, Boxing
Brenna Cooper