Former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis believes Jake Paul was not physically ready for the demands of a heavyweight contest against Anthony Joshua, after the Briton secured a sixth round stoppage.
It was reports that Paul, who had never previously been knocked down in his professional career, failed to beat the count as Joshua’s pressure finally told.
Speaking on Netflix, Lewis said: “Paul wasn’t in good shape, especially for a big heavyweight like that,” Lewis said. “After a couple rounds it showed, he was basically sitting there waiting to get hit.”
Lewis, a three time world champion, also suggested Joshua’s lengthy spell out of the ring played a role in the fight taking time to come alive. The contest marked Joshua’s first appearance since his defeat to Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September 2024.
“When Anthony said he’d been out for 15 months, it showed,” Lewis added. “He needed a couple of rounds to warm up and get used to the ring again before he threw those punches. He did what he had to do. He had a guy in front of him running around the ring and he had to catch up with him.”
Former super middleweight champion Andre Ward took a more measured view of Paul’s performance, particularly in the early stages.
“When Paul got tired he panicked,” Ward said. “That’s a sign of fatigue. He helped Joshua out a little bit because he was having decent success early on. You have to give Joshua that little bit of grace too, Jake Paul was good enough to make things interesting for a little while.”
On the other hand, British retired boxer, Chris Eubank Jr was among those who offered praise for the American’s resolve. “Regardless of the outcome Jake Paul got into the ring with an Olympic gold medallist and former heavyweight world champion and tried his best until the very end,” Eubank wrote on 𝕏. “You have to give him his respect now. He’s done what most would never do and he didn’t give up.”
Former world heavyweight champion David Haye also felt Paul had earned credit, while pointing to Joshua’s early frustration. “Joshua is trying a little too hard. It’s not about winning, it’s about how he wins,” Haye said during the opening rounds. He later added: “Jake Paul was competitive in there. It was frustrating for Anthony Joshua in the early rounds.”
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