“I’m going to break his face, demolish his body and completely crush him,” Joshua announced towards the match on December 19. “That’s the mentality of a fighter. I know what’s in my heart. I’m here to prove that I’m the better fighter. He’s going to have to kill me to stop me. I’m willing to die in the ring to win this fight.”
Jake Paul (28) will meet boxing legend Anthony Joshua (36) on December 19: ‘To all my haters: this is what you wanted’
Paul, in turn, used similar language, indicating that he saw Joshua mainly as a way station. “I’m going to knock him out so I can fight Tyson Fury next year.”
Despite the harsh words that went through the room, Joshua also expressed his admiration for the ascended YouTube phenomenon at the accompanying press conference. “I take this fight very seriously. Paul is a conqueror. His mentality is good and he is better than Tyson Fury. He will face me next, so I will take him seriously and give him the respect he deserves. It will be phenomenal.”
Year break
It doesn’t matter to him that Joshua hasn’t fought for more than a year. “I wanted a twelve-month break after my fight with Daniel Dubois. I did that and so it’s time to get back to work. If it were up to me, I would have already fought this weekend.”