Ben Davison has been Anthony Joshua’s head coach for his last three fights, but he isn’t fond of the upcoming battle against Jake Paul.
It was announced this week that Joshua and Paul will collide in an eight-round professional heavyweight contest on December 19, headlining a show at the Kaseya Center, Miami.
This came about after Paul was forced to pivot away from his exhibition match with Gervonta Davis, whose troubles outside of the ring ultimately ruled him out of their scheduled November 14 event.
As a result of a civil lawsuit being filed against Davis, Paul will instead take on a vastly different challenge, while reportedly subjecting Joshua to a 245lbs weight restriction, live on Netflix.
Naturally, the boxing world has largely responded with heavy criticism, particularly given that Paul’s most notable outing was against a 58-year-old Mike Tyson last year.
Even away from that event, there is no evidence to suggest that the 28-year-old is anywhere near the level of Joshua, a former two-time world champion.
From Joshua’s perspective, though, it must be said that Paul represents a rather kind return to the ring following his devastating fifth-round stoppage defeat to Daniel Dubois in September 2024.
As for his training team, there have been rumours to suggest that AJ could take his business elsewhere, despite working with Davison since 2023, but nothing official has been announced.
Nevertheless, Davison has already offered his opinion on the Paul fight next month during an interview with Boxing News, while also highlighting the emphatic nature of Joshua’s second-round finish over former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
“It’s a bit like Floyd [Mayweather] when he boxed [Conor] McGregor. He was like, ‘I’m robbing a bank’. I think he came out in a ski mask.
If they’re going to pay him [Joshua] ridiculous money to do that [fight Paul], then it’s going to spike a bit of interest.
In terms of the fight, Francis Ngannou’s one of the most durable men on the planet, and look what happened there [in March 2024]. I don’t think it’s good for boxing, if I’m honest.
[Joshua] could play with him if he wanted to, or dispatch him.”
If Joshua wins as expected next month, it could finally pave the way for a long-awaited showdown with Tyson Fury in 2026.