Former UFC world champion Conor McGregor has weighed in on the upcoming showdown between Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul.
Joshua and Paul are just days away from doing battle in a controversial eight round heavyweight bout at the Kaseya Center in Miami on Friday December 19.
‘The Problem Child’ was last in action back in June when he comprehensively outpointed former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr at the Honda Center in Anaheim.
As for ‘AJ’, the two-time world heavyweight champion hasn’t competed since he suffered the fourth defeat of his career to countryman Daniel Dubois in September of 2024.
Another man that has been linked to a clash with Paul in the past is MMA star McGregor, who in a clip shared by Bloody Elbow, admitted that whilst he ‘respects’ Paul for taking a fight against Joshua, he says the fight should not go ahead as he claims boxing is a ‘dangerous sport’.
“If he makes that walk, I’ve got to give him his respect for that. It’s very dangerous, you know? It seems like Netflix are all over him. It’s a dangerous sport and you can’t overlook that. Joshua’s a big boy and a powerhouse.
“I’ve sat ringside and watched Joshua. That’s a heavy punching man, and he’s a happy and he’s a good person. He has an anger in him, he has a darkness in him does Anthony Joshua. I don’t think a lot of people suss that. The fight shouldn’t go ahead in my opinion. If he [Paul] does it I’ll give him his respect for that.”
It will be Paul’s second ever appearance at heavyweight when he faces Joshua next week, with his first coming against boxing legend Mike Tyson in November 2024. The 28-year-old appears to be full of confidence going into the bout however, as he vows to knock out the hard-hitting Brit.
