Pray for Jake Paul.
So said heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk when asked about the upcoming boxing match between Paul and former world champion Anthony Joshua.
“If Anthony Joshua wants, he (can) kill this guy,’’ Usyk told Boxing Scene, comparing Joshua to a Rolls-Royce and Paul to a Fiat. “… I will pray (for) Jake Paul because I want (to) fight Jake Paul in the Octagon.’’
The projections seem to be growing more dire with Paul set to fight Joshua Dec. 19 at the Kaseya Center in Miami in an eight-round bout to be livestreamed by Netflix.
Joshua has held the unified heavyweight championship twice. Paul has fought the likes of retired MMA fighters, a retired NBA player and a 58-year-old Mike Tyson.
Tony Bellew, a retired boxer who was 30-3-1 and now works as a commentator, said Paul is in for a terrifying experience against Joshua.
“When (Joshua) touches him for the first time with a pair of 10-ounce gloves on, he’s going to get the fright of his life,’’ Bellew told IFL TV.
Bellew also expressed doubt the fight will take place, saying of Paul, “I don’t believe he’s going to get in the ring with 10-ounce gloves on.’’
David Haye, a former heavyweight champion, told Sky News that Paul’s life will be at risk when the 6-foot-1 social media-star-turned-boxer climbs into the ring against the 6-foot-6 Joshua.
‘It could be his last day on Earth,’ said Haye, 45, who held world titles as a heavyweight and cruiserweight.
But Louis Durkin, president of the Association of Ringside Physicians, told USA TODAY Sports he has no safety concerns about the boxing match.
‘Although Jake should be a considerable underdog, he has real skills and AJ is a little past his prime,’ said Durkin, Chairman of Emergency Medicine at Mercy Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts. ‘Should be a good match and I think (a) strong chance it goes the distance.’
On safety concerns being aired by others, Durkin said, ‘They don’t want to believe a YouTuber is good enough. He took the shortcut to the top.’
Durkin said the difference between Paul and Joshua in terms of experience and size counts ‘on paper.’
‘But if you look at the individual fighters, I don’t think it rises to the level of safety concern,’ Durkin said. ‘Now whether (Paul) deserves a shot at Joshua is a different question. But I think that gets confused with the level of danger.’