Anthony Joshua has confessed that he was given a "strict message" on how to handle Jake Paul when they faced off in the ring. The former undisputed heavyweight champion revealed this during a recent appearance on the "Mr. Verzace Podcast."
Joshua's Mission to Eliminate Paul
"There was a strict message that was given and a task that was laid upon me, and that was to get rid of Jake Paul, remove him from our beloved sport, which is boxing," Joshua said with a smile. "Whether that took me one round, whether that took me six rounds, I believe the job was well and truly done. I definitely delivered."
The Olympic gold medallist defeated Paul by knockout in the sixth round of their December mismatch. Paul, typically a cruiserweight, stepped up to face one of the best boxers on the planet.
Paul's Injuries and Aftermath
During the fight, Paul was smiling and sticking his tongue out, but the laughter stopped after Joshua's power punches resulted in a broken jaw, according to The New York Post. Paul was dropped multiple times during the bout.
Last month, Paul revealed that he required jaw surgery and that his return to boxing is on hold due to the injury. It is possible that Paul will not fight at all in 2026 because of his fractured jaw. However, he still secured a massive payday for himself and his combat sports promotion, MVP.
MVP has expanded into MMA, hosting a debut card three weeks ago featuring Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano. So while Joshua may not have ended Paul's combat sports career entirely, he has pushed him out of boxing, at least for now.
Who Gave the Orders?
It remains unclear who Joshua is referring to when he says he was "given" orders to end Paul's boxing career. He may have been referring to the hardcore boxing fan community as a whole. Joshua's knockout of Paul adds another casualty to his record, as he previously ended former MMA champion Francis Ngannou's career last year with a brutal first-round knockout.
This story originally appeared on The New York Post and has been republished with permission.
