Anthony Joshua had American heavyweight Cassius Chaney on his shortlist earlier than accepting a shock battle with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Miami subsequent month.
Two-time unified world heavyweight champion Joshua has now confirmed he’ll battle Paul in Miami on Friday December 19. Will probably be Joshua’s first battle since his IBF world title problem in September of final 12 months led to a knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois.
Paul is an sudden opponent for Joshua, who received Olympic gold at super-heavyweight in 2012, and Chaney has confirmed that he was on a shortlist of potential opponents for Joshua to battle subsequent.
The 38-year-old Chaney from Baltimore has fought at heavyweight all through his professional profession, which started in 2015. He has misplaced thrice in 27 bouts and by no means been stopped.
Chaney’s most notable victory was a knockout win over Trevor Bryan, a former WBA heavyweight title holder in 2023.
He advised Sky Sports activities that he hoped to safe a possible battle in opposition to Joshua on this weekend’s David Benavidez vs Anthony Yarde invoice in Saudi Arabia.
“It sucks to lose a great opportunity but it’s okay, it’s the business,” Chaney advised Sky Sports activities. “I’m happy to be knocking at the door. Everything works out in the end.”
Okolie gives to spar Paul to ‘assist him’ for Anthony Joshua
Lawrence Okolie (Photograph: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry)
World-ranked heavyweight Lawrence Okolie has supplied to spar Paul to organize him for his battle with Joshua.
Okolie is a former world champion at cruiserweight and in addition within the new ‘bridgerweight’ division. He is presently the No 1 ranked heavyweight contender with the WBC.
He is recognized Joshua for a long-time and from the early days of his newbie profession has sparred with the previous unified heavyweight world champion.
However he’s intrigued to find what possessed Paul to tackle Joshua in a contest.
“It’s crazy. I want to go help Jake Paul, give him a chance. I want to go out there to Puerto Rico. What I don’t want to happen for him anyway is he gets absolutely destroyed in a round or whatever if AJ turns it on,” Okolie stated.
“I want him to have a little feeling of what it’s like to be in there with a world class heavyweight beforehand.
“I do know I’ve a battle arising, I believe on the identical day, however I am going to exit for a few weeks. I wish to know what’s it that is allowed Jake Paul to say to himself: I will get in there with a 250lb muscle man from England, this large, towering man, Olympic gold [medallist], former heavyweight world champion, two-time, in entrance of thousands and thousands of followers.
“I need to know. Maybe he’s got a secret that I don’t know.”
He recognises the super diploma to which Paul, a social media star who is mostly a novice skilled boxer, ought to be out of his depth in opposition to Joshua.
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Sky Sports activities’ Johnny Nelson discusses Anthony Joshua’s motivation to battle Jake Paul on December 19 and shares his predictions
“I’m not going to sit here and pretend that it’s not a crazy difference in skill, difference in size, difference in all different ways,” Okolie stated.
“But you know what, crazier things have happened. So let’s just see.”
He does not although anticipate Joshua to begin shortly and thinks it might last more than a spherical.
“From what I’ve gathered of AJ I don’t think he’s going to in there and go: ‘I’m going to hit him with a massive right hand and end it in 30 seconds,'” Okolie mirrored.
However he added: “I do think though if Jake Paul starts touching him then it’ll be okay [let’s go]. [Joshua] hasn’t been in the ring for a while, maybe he’s going to use it as an exercise. However if Jake Paul clips him and doesn’t take him out the first time he hits him hard, that’s when I think it’s going to get interesting.
“If Jake Paul hits him and does not take him out with the primary one then it is a lengthy night time.
“It just seems crazy but crazier things have happened.”
