Featured Image Credit: Giorgio VIERA / AFP via Getty Images
Topics: Jake Paul, Anthony Joshua, Boxing, Netflix, Sport
James Moorhouse
Topics: Jake Paul, Anthony Joshua, Boxing, Netflix, Sport
Nobody would have predicted a year ago that Jake Paul would be fighting Anthony Joshua live on Netflix, but Friday night's match-up was certainly memorable.
Paul, the influencer and YouTuber, only started his boxing career a few years ago and has already defeated a nearly 60-year-old Mike Tyson and several MMA fighters, with his only professional loss coming against Tommy Fury.
So, it was a huge surprise when the 28-year-old confirmed last month that he'd be lining up on Netflix against former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, who was looking for a successful return to the sport having last fought Daniel Dubois in September 2024.
Most experts predicted a win for the Olympic gold medallist via knockout, and that did eventually transpire, but few would have expected it to reach the sixth round, with Paul deploying some interesting tactics as a way of staying in the fight.
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Eventually, as the former Disney star started to tire, Joshua took control and landed some severe blows which - including giving Paul a broken jaw - eventually saw referee Christopher Young confirm that the American couldn't continue, ruling Joshua as the winner after delivering a brutal warning to both in a previous round.
Anyone who watched the fight will have noted that Paul spent a lot of the time on the floor and a lot of time essentially hugging his opponent so he couldn't land any blows, which is where he seemingly managed to earn himself a record of sorts.
During the fight, Paul attempted 13 clinches while throwing just 16 punches in total, which one X user reckons is a record which will 'absolutely never be broken'.
For those of you who are unfamiliar, clinching is a strategy sometimes used in boxing to help recover, disrupt punches or control their opponent, with Paul attempting it throughout the fight as a way of avoiding AJ's immense power and keeping himself in the match.
However, it must also be noted that the number of clinches in a boxing match is not an officially recorded statistic, and we probably won't see many more fights with such a disparity in talent and experience between the two fighters, where this high amount of clinches and low number of punches can be compared.
That is, until Paul recovers from his injuries and plans another money-spinning fight againt Dubois or Usyk.
The British champ was clearly getting frustrated by Paul's tactics, which were also famously utilised by Wladimir Klitschko in a 2013 heavyweight win over Alexander Povetkin.
Joshua did say he had respect for Paul after the fight, but he clearly wasn't a fan of his opponent's tactics, which were clearly done as a way of avoiding hits and prolonging the fight as long as possible - despite him promising ahead of the fight that it was 'Judgement Day' for the Watford-born athlete.
Of course, that particular record wasn't the only thing that was broken during Friday night's big fight, with Paul sharing some pretty rough images on his social media after taking some powerful punches from AJ.
It must be said that if any of us found ourselves facing a boxer as good as Joshua, we'd probably spend most of our time on the floor or clinching him for dear life in the hope of avoiding a serious injury as well.
But for £32 million, we'd probably give it a go.