Dave Allen has given plenty of honest thoughts on the upcoming fight between Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua.
After several weeks of rumours, this unlikely event was announced on Monday and will take place live on Netflix on December 19. It pits former two-time unified heavyweight world champion Joshua against a 13-fight novice pro who has no amateur background, which is why many people think it’s dangerous.
Paul has fought just one legitimate, high-profile active boxer so far in his career and that ended in a loss to Tommy Fury, although he did have his man down on the canvas.
His other opponents have been ageing former MMA stars and retired boxers, including Mike Tyson, Tyron Woodley and Nate Diaz.
Speaking on his own YouTube channel, popular heavyweight Allen branded the Paul vs Joshua fight ‘very dangerous’ and explained exactly why.
“I’ve watched bits and pieces of him knocking Woodley out, bits of the Tyson fight, I watched the Tommy Fury fight, by no means am I saying his useless. I’m not, heels gone 10 rounds a couple of times, he’s not bad at all.
“I reckon this kid, Jake Paul, could win an area title. He trains hard. I respect him for what he’s doing, he’s having an a go, amazing. But he’s now fighting a top heavyweight of the last 10-15 years.
“One, it’s dangerous, he’s not a heavyweight, he’s a cruiserweight, if that. He’s not grown into a heavyweight. He boxed Julio Cesar Chavez five months ago at 14 stone 3, he might have cut a bit of weight, but it’s dangerous really. Very dangerous because if Anthony Joshua hits him on the chin, he will put him to sleep. He could really hurt him. He’s not naturally big enough.”
For Joshua, it is seen as a tune-up fight before getting back to the real business in 2026. Anything but a quick and conclusive win for the Brit will not reflect well on where he is at in his career.
