Heading into December 19, Anthony Joshua wasn’t just the favorite. He was supposed to end the conversation. Jake Paul definitely had believers, and Demetrious Johnson was one of them. The former UFC champion openly backed ‘El Gallo’ to land the kind of right hand that had troubled Joshua before. But that moment never came. At the Judgment Day bout, the Brit finished Paul with a thudding knockout in the third round. The prediction didn’t age well, and Johnson was quick to admit it.

“Now, I’mma go ahead and go on record. I got that one wrong. It was another stupid hot take by your boy, Demetrious Johnson. I thought Jake Paul could knock out Anthony Joshua. Jake Paul did land that shot I was looking for. I was looking for Jake Paul to land that overhand right, which he did, and I thought that was gonna put Anthony Joshua to sleep. I thought he was gonna knock him out,” ‘Mighty Mouse’ said on his YouTube video. 

In his original prediction video, Demetrious Johnson broke down how Jake Paul’s right hand could pose serious problems for Anthony Joshua. The former UFC flyweight champion pointed out the former two-time heavyweight champ’s past knockout losses, including defeats to Andy Ruiz and Daniel Dubois, and believed the same vulnerability could show up again. Based on that read, Johnson backed ‘El Gallo’ to land the kind of shot that had changed fights before.    

To his credit, Jake Paul even landed that punch a couple of times in the fight, but it just lacked the power needed to finish Joshua. Soon, the English powerhouse found his range and calmly broke down the YouTuber-Boxer in the sixth round, a shift Demetrious Johnson later explained.

“I thought Anthony Joshua wasn’t going to be able to take that overhand right from Jake Paul. But he was able to eat it. Now, Anthony Joshua was able to find his range, get comfortable,” Johnson added in his video.

Now, it’s true Jake Paul lost, and ‘Mighty Mouse’ had to eat his words. But he still isn’t done believing in ‘The Problem Child’. The former 125-pound kingpin thinks this setback won’t define Paul. Not if he listens and adjusts. With that belief, Johnson believes Paul can come back better in his next fight. Not through reinvention, but through small and specific tweaks. 

Demetrious Johnson advises Jake Paul to come down to cruiserweight 

Jake Paul has fought most of his career at cruiserweight. Most notably, he stepped up to heavyweight to face Mike Tyson and then Anthony Joshua. At 28 years old, Paul entered his last fight noticeably undersized, which muted his power and kept it from ever fully showing.

Analyzing the loss, Demetrious Johnson highlighted that point as critical. The size gap mattered when it came to victory and defeat. ‘Mighty Mouse’ also noted that ‘El Gallo’ still needs to sharpen his technical skills, tweaks that could help Paul grow into a more complete and credible boxer moving forward. 

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“I would like to see Jake Paul take a little bit of training, work on certain technical things. Work on the cardio, maybe even come down a weight, right? I think he could probably lose a little weight and get more shredded, and be a lot faster than being a cruiserweight.” ‘DJ’ further added in his video.  

Right now, Jake Paul is staring at a suspension. Most reports point to 60 days, fallout from the night Joshua broke two bones in his jaw. And yet, from a hospital bed, Paul stayed on brand. ‘The Problem Child’ called out Canelo Alvarez for a future showdown, that too in ten days. But as badly as the star boxer wants this fight, it will definitely not happen anytime soon. 

That said, do you agree with Johnson’s take that the 28-year-old makes a stronger comeback after a loss like this? Let us know in the comments section below.