Duel between Joshua and Influencer
German boxing star: “Is destroying boxing”
12/18/2025 – 10:28 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
The fight between former world champion Anthony Joshua and influencer Jake Paul is imminent. The German boxer Agit Kabayel is not enthusiastic about the frequency of such encounters.
The German heavyweight boxer Agit Kabayel sees an increase in duels between professionals such as former world champion Anthony Joshua and influencers as a danger to his sport. “I think it’s cool when you put together such an awesome event once a year,” said the interim world champion of the WBC association of the German Press Agency. If such fights are held too often, “then it will destroy boxing at some point,” added the 33-year-old. If everyone suddenly challenges the professional, “then it will get annoying at some point.”
On Friday, former heavyweight world champion Joshua and influencer Jake Paul, who defeated the much older boxing legend Mike Tyson by unanimous decision on points last year, will duel in Miami. The fight will be broadcast on the streaming provider Netflix and can be seen in Germany early Saturday morning.
Before the fight over a maximum of eight rounds against 36-year-old Joshua, YouTube star Paul, who was almost ten years his junior, announced full-bodiedly that he wanted to bring about “the biggest surprise in the history of sport”. Because Joshua, who is almost 13 centimeters taller and significantly heavier, is the overwhelming favorite. There is talk in several media outlets of a high salary in the mid-eight-figure range for Joshua.
The Briton Joshua did not play another duel after his defeat in the world championship fight against compatriot Daniel Dubois in September 2024. Former boxing idol Wladimir Klitschko lost his last fight against Joshua in 2017 after a spectacular duel and ended his career a few months later.
Heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk chose macabre words before the unequal duel: “If Anthony wants Joshua, he kills this guy.” The German professional Kabayel chose a quieter tone: “Jack Paul definitely has a lot planned. If he thinks he can beat Anthony Joshua.”
Kabayel from Bochum will take on Poland’s Damian Knyba in the sold-out Rudolf Weber Arena in Oberhausen on January 10th and wants to position himself for a world championship fight.