Controversial rules Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua fight will be under as it's 'confirmed' by insider
YouTuber Jake Paul looks set to step into the ring with two time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, despite 'genuine fears' for his safety.
While the fight is yet to be officially confirmed, plans seem pretty solid with Eddie Hearn revealing the proposed boxing match will be a 'real fight' under Queensberry rules and not an exhibition like many of Paul's previous fights.
The social media personality has previously stepped in the ring with the likes of Tommy Fury and Nate Diaz, both of which were classed as professional crossover matches, which is when a fight has been sanctioned but features participants from different combat sport disciplines like MMA.
Last year, however, Paul beat former professional heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson, who is 31 years his senior, in a professionally sanctioned match which followed a slightly different set of rules.
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If 27-year-old Paul does officially go head to head with Joshua, their fight will follow the official rules, according to Hearn.
"No, not an exhibition. We're not interested in exhibitions. It's a real fight," he told Sky Sports.
"There's stuff to be resolved and discussed. It would be a real fight with Queensberry rules, 10-ounce gloves. The rounds would be agreed."
What are Queensberry rules in boxing?
The Queensberry rules are the modern foundation of boxing rules, named after John Douglass, the 9th Marquess of Queensberry, who introduced them in 1867.
The main points are:
- Gloves must be worn, with fighters required to wear padded boxing gloves, unlike in bare knuckle fighting
- Rounds must be three minutes each with a minute rest in between
- Boxers must not wrestle or grapple as was seen in early boxing
- A knockout is counted when a fighter is one the ground for 10 seconds or more, and to prevent a knockout they must get up unassisted before reaching the 10 second mark
- Fighters cannot hit their opponent when they're down on the ground or getting back up
- The fight must take place in a roped, square ring, which is usually 24 feet
- Fighters must play fair and not commit fouls like hitting below the belt, holding and hitting, hitting after the bell etc.
Controversial rules when Jake Paul fought Mike Tyson
Back when Paul fought Tyson, several rules were placed on it which differed from the industry standard Queensberry rules, making it slightly different to most professional fights.
First up, instead of the standard 10-ounce gloves worn in a heavyweight fight, they wore 14-ounce gloves. The heavier the glove, the more padding and the more shock absorbed by the glove, rather than the fist and point of contact on the opposition fighter.
Secondly, they also only fought for eight rounds instead of the usual 12 and each of these rounds were two minutes long instead of the standard three minutes.
Topics: Sport, Boxing, Mike Tyson, Jake Paul, Eddie Hearn
Emma Rosemurgey