Jake Paul may be gearing up for the biggest fight of his career against Anthony Joshua, but he isn’t ready to let go of old rivalries just yet. Despite the ups and downs in the last few weeks, ‘The Problem Child’ has secured a professional heavyweight showdown with the two-time heavyweight champion on December 19 at the Kaseya Center in Miami.

Ahead of the blockbuster event, Paul and Joshua finally came face-to-face at their first press conference in Miami. But the spotlight didn’t stay solely on the two stars. Former UFC star Nate Diaz was quickly dragged into the conversation when Paul took the opportunity to fire a jab at his longtime rival while giving his prediction for the upcoming clash with Joshua.

Jake Paul says backing from Nate Diaz isn’t the best thing for him

Speaking to the crowd gathered for the presser, Paul was asked whether his family had any concerns about the upcoming fight. Staying as composed as ever, he admitted that while his mother is nervous, the people closest to him largely believe he’ll get the job done. “My mom is mostly terrified, but she’s scared of every fight, but my dad thinks I’m gonna knock him out,” Paul said.

He went on to list others backing him. “Logan thinks I’m gonna win, Tyson Fury thinks I’m gonna win, Oscar De La Hoya thinks I’m gonna win, and then my team, so that’s like seven people,” he continued. When a reporter pointed out that Nate Diaz had also predicted he would beat Joshua, Paul didn’t seem thrilled about the additional support. “That’s not really a good endorsement since he’s dumb as f—k,” Paul said during the presser.

According to reports, Diaz had posted his prediction on social media, writing, “Pauls beating Joshua.” The two last fought in 2023, where Paul won by unanimous decision. Talks of a rematch surfaced but never materialized. Later, when the Gervonta Davis fight fell apart, Diaz was among the first fighters to step up and express interest in facing Paul again—and Paul publicly thanked him for doing so.

But coming back to Jake Paul, Anthony Joshua appears to be taking the fight much more seriously than ever before. 

Anthony Joshua is training with Oleksandr Usyk’s team

Anthony Joshua is switching things up again. This time, he is training with Oleksandr Usyk’s team ahead of his December 19 fight against Jake Paul in Miami. The former two-time unified heavyweight champion confirmed he has parted ways with Ben Davison and has spent the last couple of months working under Team Usyk, with ‘Igor’ serving as his new head coach.

“I said that London is a bit distracting for me. I was invited to train with Team Usyk, so we’ve been doing some good training in Spain. [Usyk is] one of the best in the world, [and that’s] also down to his team,” Joshua said at the kickoff press conference. Though he hasn’t sparred with Usyk directly, Joshua said the experience has been transformative. 

“It’s been phenomenal, man. It’s been a great experience, and it’s very challenging,” he noted as he prepares for another high-stakes return.

Having said that, it appears Jake Paul might be in some trouble. Whether he likes it or not, he has backing from Nate Diaz, and Paul will have to prove he is worthy of it come fight night. Do you think he has a chance of winning?