Join the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletter and get behind-the-scenes access and unrivalled insightJoin the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletterJoin the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletterAnthony Joshua has come in for criticism over his performance against Jake Paul, having taken six rounds to stop the YouTuber-turned-boxer.Joshua, a former two-time world heavyweight champion, fought Paul in a professional heavyweight fight on Friday. That meant knockouts were allowed, with many fans craving an early KO defeat for Paul in Miami.• Follow live: Joshua vs Paul fallout as AJ finally stops YouTuberBut that specific result did not come, with Joshua struggling to pin down the shorter and evasive man in the first few rounds – in a larger-than-usual ring, admittedly. Paul, 28, repeatedly dived at Joshua’s legs, too, seemingly to avoid damage and buy time.Still, Joshua went on to score four knockdowns in the middle rounds of the scheduled eight, wrapping up victory in the sixth frame. Paul even claimed that he had suffered a broken jaw.But Joshua acknowledged that some viewers would be disappointed, saying in his post-fight interview at the Kaseya Center: “I appreciate everyone in this venue. It wasn’t the best performance. The end goal was to get him, pin him down and hurt him. That’s what people wanted, that was on my mind. It took longer than expected.“Now, Jake Paul has done really well tonight. He got up, time and time again. It was difficult for me in there. We give them their respect, he tried and tried, but he came up against a real fighter in there. open image in galleryAnthony Joshua (right) dropped Jake Paul four times en route to victory (Getty Images for Netflix)“I saw Eddie [Hearn, promoter] saying: ‘Get him now!’ I said I’d take his soul, see it leaving his body round after round. I said it, and it happened. I understand the psychology of fighting.”Nevertheless, Joshua was subjected to heavy criticism online.Journalist Kevin Iole tweeted, “He won’t with $100 million on the table to fight [Tyson] Fury, but AJ ought to retire. That was an epically bad performance.”Promoter Lou DiBella tweeted: “The guy who should feel ashamed right now is Anthony Joshua … that was his legacy. Paul is a great businessman. AJ doesn’t give two s***s about #boxing.”Enjoy 185+ fights a year on DAZN, the Global Home of BoxingNever miss a fight from top promoters. Watch on your devices anywhere, anytime.Buy…
Try WordAi Free
2025-12-20 06:15:55
