Jake Paul doesn’t just divide fans anymore. He divides balance sheets. As fight night approaches, the debate around Paul vs. Anthony Joshua has quietly switched away from gloves and knockouts and toward something far more uncomfortable for sportsbooks: exposure. This is not hype, nor clicks. Actual risk.

On paper, this seems straightforward. A former two-time heavyweight champion will face a YouTuber-turned-boxer who is stepping into the deep end. However, betting markets rarely follow logic alone, and this one has evolved into a stress test. According to the odds, Joshua should roll. The money suggests that people are ready to take a significant gamble on chaos. That tension has now become very real for DraftKings.

DraftKings is staring at a nightmare scenario with the Jake Paul bet

DraftKings has found itself in an odd situation. Despite putting Jake Paul as a +650 underdog, the bookmaker is flooded with bets backing him. According to a recent revelation, DraftKings internally calculates that a win for ‘The Problem Child’ might cost the company roughly $100 million. Not just a bad night, but a historical one.

Johnny Avello, DraftKings’ sportsbook director, did not try to downplay the situation. He admitted that the liability is substantial and still expanding. Only a fraction of the expected money was in early, suggesting that the strongest wave is still to come. And the trend has not shifted. Bettors keep clicking, Paul.

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The imbalance explains everything. Anthony Joshua is a -1200 favorite, which scares off casual wagerers who do not want to risk a lot for a small return. Meanwhile, Jake Paul offers a payout that feels irresistible. A long shot with a well-known name, a Netflix stage, and a track record of achieving results that others once claimed to be impossible.

What makes this fight different is reach. This isn’t hidden away on pay-per-view. It’s on Netflix. This changes the audience, betting behavior, and scope of exposure. Avello even warned that, while the entire betting handle may not surpass Paul vs. Mike Tyson, the liability might. That is a dangerous distinction for any sportsbook.

And DraftKings is not alone. BetMGM, Fanatics, and others are observing similar patterns. Over 80% of the money in some markets is landing on ‘The Problem Child.’ It’s not that they believe he is the better boxer, but because betting culture lives on disbelief, upside, and moments that break narratives.

DraftKings’ hope is simple. Anthony Joshua accomplishes what champions are expected to do. Because if Jake Paul wins, it won’t just shake boxing again. It may wipe out nine figures in a single night. And according to one legend of the sport, that might just happen.

British boxing legend warns about the biggest upset in sporting history

The fear hovering over sportsbooks is no longer limited to betting slips. It’s now being echoed by David Haye, a former world champion who understands how quickly heavyweight fights can fall apart. After once warning Jake Paul that facing Anthony Joshua could end disastrously, Haye has taken a sharp turn.

Not because he now believes ‘The Problem Child’ is a better boxer, but because he senses unpredictability creeping in. The British boxing legend is concerned about the fragility of control at this level. Heavyweights don’t need lengthy exchanges for things to go wrong. There is plenty that could go wrong. An awkward step, a ripped muscle, a clash of heads, or a shoulder slipping out at the wrong time.

“Something dramatic’s gonna happen,” Haye told The Sun, acknowledging that logic alone cannot explain it. Years of witnessing battles swing in unexpected ways have shaped this feeling for him. The warning is uncomfortable because of the reversal itself. This is the same voice that once wanted the fight to end before it even began.

David Haye now believes that chaos has the potential to completely flip the night. “I don’t know how it’s gonna happen,” he added, “but I think it’s gonna be the biggest upset in sporting history.” That kind of uncertainty is the last thing sportsbooks want to hear, given how exposed they already are.