Anthony Joshua is in a 'no-win situation' after accepting a fight against Jake Paul, says Johnny Nelson

Anthony Joshua has put himself in a 'no-win situation' after accepting a fight against Jake Paul, says Sky Sports' Johnny Nelson.

The former two-time unified world champion will face Paul, the YouTuber turned boxer, in an eight-round sanctioned heavyweight fight at Kaseya Center, Miami, in the early hours of Saturday December 20 UK time.

"It sounds like there's 50 million reasons why Anthony Joshua is taking this fight," Nelson told Sky Sports News.

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"In my head, I never, ever thought this fight would happen. Why? Because of Anthony Joshua's desire to be in the history books and a three-time champion of the world.

"To me, it shows me his desire. This is now business.

"The weight [limit] is 245lb [for Joshua], so I think last time Anthony Joshua weighed around that, it was when he fought Usyk. That means he's got to be fighting fit, on point, because his last fight he was 254[lbs], against Daniel Dubois.

"It's not tiddly winks. This is a fight. It's not a push and a pull, remember with McGregor and Mayweather, if this is a real, legitimate fight, Jake Paul is super brave, and it'll be interesting to see."

'AJ will take enough stick this but money talks'

Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, has insisted this will be a real fight and both men will be wearing 10oz gloves, the standard weight for a heavyweight professional bout.

"I do believe it will be because AJ is involved," said Nelson. "AJ will take enough stick for this but money talks.

"AJ is in a no-win situation. If he goes in there, Jake Paul lasts the distance, what does that tell you about AJ?

"If he goes in there and knocks him out, then you would say that's to be expected. There's probably not much glory, apart from the haters of Jake Paul saying, 'I've got rid of this kid'.

"Now Jake Paul has got our attention, now you have to back the boast. You can play football, golf, tennis. You can't play boxing.

"Most people will watch this to hopefully see Jake Paul get his mouth shut. They hope the great version of Anthony Joshua turns up. If that version of Anthony turns up, then it's going to be a comfortable, smug night for any boxing snob.

"If any other version of Anthony Joshua turns up, and he struggles with Jake Paul, then Anthony Joshua needs to think to himself, 'wow, I've turned into a businessman', because that's what it is, a bounty hunter, a prize fighter."

'Maybe AJ's thinking he's seen his best days'

Joshua has been absent from the ring since a shock knockout loss to Dubois in their IBF world heavyweight title fight last September and Nelson has raised doubts whether the two-time world champion can ever rediscover his best form.

"Anthony Joshua's days of becoming world champion have got slimmer and slimmer, and the chances have got smaller and smaller," said Nelson

"The biggest fight out there, apart from Jake Paul, is probably Tyson Fury. He's making more money, making more headlines, than any world champion out there, and he's not even boxing for the world title.

"Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua have both taken advantage of a situation that is the state of boxing as it is today.

"Anthony Joshua got knocked out against Daniel Dubois. You'd think straight away he would go 'let me get back in that fight. I'm better'. But he hasn't said that.

"So maybe, he's thinking 'I've probably seen my best days. I'll never be able to say that publicly but I've probably seen my best days, so I've got to do the best I can with what I've got left'.

"If you used to be a heavyweight champion, you were the best in the world, but now getting in there with Jake Paul, yes, he knows he's going to get stick, yes, he knows he probably upset one of the one or two traditional fans to say, why are you doing this?

"But in reality, he's getting in there with someone that can generate 50 million pounds, plus for him to knock him out, then he moves on.

"Anybody that is honest with themselves would not turn that down. Nobody would turn that opportunity down. Get him out there and get on with your business."

'I would expect Paul to get knocked out'

Paul, who has a 12-1 record, produced a career-best points win over former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr in his last fight, but Nelson believes he will suffer a crushing loss.

"I would expect the same thing that happened in AJ against Ngannou," Nelson said. "I would expect Paul to get knocked out, if not saved by the referee.

"Jake Paul is a very brave, ambitious young man who has a great business head on his shoulder. Now he's got our attention.

"I think everything he's done in our game, I commend and respect him for that. For Jake Paul, well done, the job is done. For Anthony Joshua, get the job done and show the difference in class."

(c) Sky Sports 2025: Anthony Joshua is in a 'no-win situation' after accepting a fight against Jake Paul, says Johnny Nelson