“When I beat Anthony Joshua, every doubt disappears, and no one can deny me the opportunity to fight for a world title. To all my haters, this is what you wanted,” calling it a “Judgement Day,” Jake Paul’s latest statement swirled as reports confirmed the heavyweight duel against Anthony Joshua. The cruiserweight contender and the former heavyweight champion will slug it out at Miami’s Kaseya Center on December 18. Now that it is finally going to happen, many have started raising concerns. A few, like John Fury, however, believe Paul is walking into the jaws of a brutal knockout.

Not one to carry a torch for eloquence and rhetoric, for his colorful language and fiery appearances, the Fury family patriarch enjoys a well-earned reputation. His confidence in Anthony Joshua giving a beatdown to Jake Paul overtakes his own son’s belief. Reportedly Tyson Fury had earlier placed a $1 million wager on Paul knocking out Joshua if they ever fought.

John Fury dismisses son’s wager on Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua

As the latest Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua news gained traction, a months-old video of John Fury speaking to reporters resurfaced. It looks like he spoke when the initial reports of the duo’s matchup started doing the rounds. So wishing the British heavyweight the best, John Fury first implored him not to take a ‘dive’ in the fight as ‘the others have done.’

A reporter promptly highlighted Tyson Fury’s million-dollar bet on Jake Paul beating Joshua. But John Fury seemingly disagreed. “How’s that going to work?” he asked. The best part followed. In the most colorful of expressions, he explained, “Anthony Joshua could knock Jake Paul out with his d*ck.” The comment set off a burst of laughter around.

According to him, AJ winning the fight remains a foregone conclusion. Anything contrary means the match has been ‘fixed.’ “If it goes any other way, you know it’s f**king fixed, don’t you?” John Fury stated. That’s a point even some users had pointed out earlier.

An intriguing take from someone whose own son has been a constant fixture in talks and discussions over a historic matchup with Anthony Joshua.

Paul vs. AJ: Camps weigh in on the duel

Putting the jokes aside, now that the match is confirmed, many wonder how it will play out. Earlier, Paul had a fight against lightweight champion Gervonta Davis. But it was a ten-round exhibition that permitted knockouts. Against Joshua, he will step into a full-blown professional bout.

According to available reports, the duo will fight for an eight-round match using 10-ounce gloves. The stipulation that has appeared so far surrounds AJ. Apparently, his weight cannot exceed 245 pounds.

And unsurprisingly, Jake Paul’s camp appears quite confident about his prospects. His close associate and co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) believes Paul has a better chance of defeating Joshua than he would have had against Tank Davis.

He said, “This is a more dangerous fight than Gervonta Tank Davis. But it’s a more winnable fight than Gervonta Tank Davis. Gervonta was small, fast, super-skilled, Joshua is a big, heavy puncher but not as evasive. So I think if Jake has the right game plan, he has a pretty good shot of winning this fight.”

The comments may attract doubts. But there’s no point denying it. It’s not the Anthony Joshua who knocked out Wladimir Klitschko eight years ago. The consecutive losses to Usyk and the brutal knockout at the hands of Dubois have taken a toll. Not to forget, he comes off a shoulder surgery. So at age 36, he may as well be way past his prime.

Still, to many, Eddie Hearn’s words ring true: “Whilst I admire Jake’s (guts), he’s going to find out the hard way in Miami.”

So fans should sit tight as days inch closer to the fight date.

Do you think Jake Paul can defeat Anthony Joshua?