Jake Paul opens up on injury toll of training for Anthony Joshua fight

Jake Paul walks into fight week with a wonky nose and a calendar that’s eating up the days as he heads toward his December 19 showdown in Miami against former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. Every day in camp has added a new layer of uncertainty. First came the shots that left his nose zigzagged. Then the outside chatter pushing rumors of a possible cancellation. But the American keeps moving forward.

“Yeah man, it’s bad!”

“It’s getting more crooked, brother. I’m not going to lie. Sparring with the heavyweights, my nose has moved a couple of millimeters this camp,” Paul told an interview with The Pat McAfee Show this week.

After beating Julio César Chávez Jr. in June, Paul wanted a leap that would break algorithms, smash sales records, and shatter paradigms. He tried to lock in a fight with Gervonta Davis, but the plan collapsed after domestic violence allegations against Davis cooled any negotiations. So Paul and his company, MVP, opened the checkbook - dropping more than $30 million (according to an interview given to Forbes by promoter Eddie Hearn) - to convince Joshua to accept a fight few saw coming.

Paul’s preparation has come at a physical cost, visible every time he points to his face on camera. He’s sparring with heavyweights who double his muscle mass. Names like Lawrence Okolie, Jared Anderson and Frank Sánchez have filled his camp. One of those exchanges with Sánchez left his nose even more bent, Paul revealed on McAfee’s show: “He definitely cracked it a little bit, so it definitely has a slight little something in there. Yeah man, it’s bad!”

Rumors of a fight cancellation

Earlier this week, chaos erupted when a former heavyweight champ lit up forums and headlines with a rumor. Bermane Stiverne claimed he’d heard the fight was off - that Paul had suffered an injury during sparring and camp was in panic mode.

Paul fired back without losing his trademark theatrics. He insists the date is locked and downplays any issues. He argues Joshua won’t be able to knock him out and boldly predicts he’ll finish the Brit before the sixth round in Miami.

“I don’t think [Joshua] can knock me out because he’s not going to be able to line up his shots properly to be able to land the hard punch,” Paul said when asked about the real risk of facing a man who dwarfs him in size and experience.

Can Paul silence the doubters against Joshua?

MMA analyst Chael Sonnen shut down Stiverne’s rumor, calling it reckless and baseless. With that much money on the table, nobody pulls out without absolute certainty. Netflix will stream the card live from Miami’s Kaseya Center, aiming for numbers similar to the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul event.

Almost simultaneously, Paul sparked another wave of confusion in the boxing and entertainment world. He teased a major announcement, leading many to believe he was backing out of the fight. In reality, it was nothing of the sort - it was the signing of Caroline Dubois to MVP Promotions. She’s the sister of Daniel Dubois, who knocked out Joshua in September 2024.

December 19 is shaping up as the night we find out whether the doubts surrounding Paul were just smoke and mirrors - or real signs of wear and tear. We’ll also learn if Joshua still has that competitive fire, or if his recent run left deeper scars than the ones we can see.

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