Disappointed in Anthony Joshua? Jake Paul is really to blame for boxing farce

First things first: you’re allowed to be disappointed, angry, or even jealous. Such feelings are always valid when professionals are paid so handsomely for turning in the kind of work performance that would have others fearing for their jobs. That’s what happened on Friday night in Miami. And yes, Anthony Joshua underperformed by his own admission, but if you’re expending the majority of your energy on him, I’m afraid you got his fight with Jake Paul completely wrong.

The craving was intense for Joshua, a former two-time world heavyweight champion, to make Paul a meme by leaving him staring up at the lights in the Kaseya Center. Many wanted to see that happen inside 30 seconds. Many said that “AJ” going four or more rounds with this YouTuber-turned-boxer would ruin his legacy. Hell, many said this fight would be rigged – a claim easily disproved but spouted repeatedly regardless.

Truthfully, many of these desires and predictions betrayed a fundamental lack of understanding of boxing, and that is not meant condescendingly. There was always going to be a lot of “I told you so” on Saturday, regardless of what happened between Joshua and Paul. If Joshua, 36, had erased his opponent in 30 seconds, it would have been “I told you so”; if Paul, 28, had survived the full eight rounds, it would have been “I told you so”.

And there’s a temptation to claim an “I told you so” of our own, having suggested that fans wouldn’t get their desired, internet-breaking image of a pulverised Paul; rather, Joshua breaking down the American and forcing a stoppage always felt likelier to us. That is what happened in the end. However, anyone who told you pre-fight that they truly knew what was going to happen was lying to you. They didn’t.

For example, even those who felt Joshua might take several rounds to get rid of Paul were largely taking this stance because they thought the Briton – after 15 months out of the ring, following a brutal loss – might just want to take his time and enjoy being in the ring, under the brightest lights once again.

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Not many predicted that the fight would have gone so long because of a very specific tactic by Paul; that is the crux here.

In fact, some pundits felt that Joshua might struggle to pin down Paul, believing that the YouTuber’s shorter stature would prove awkward for AJ, and that Paul would be on the move for the majority of the bout. Both of these predictions were proven true, having already been vindicated by the revelation that Paul had obtained a larger-than-usual ring.

But no one specifically predicted that a key part of Paul’s survival plan would be to dive at Joshua’s legs time and time again, seemingly in a bid to buy time and avoid damage.

This might seem a shallow observation on which to pin this article, but really, one particular recap video highlighted in just 90 seconds how flagrant Paul was with this tactic – if one can call it that, and it seemed deliberate enough to validate the word. Paul landed a reported 16 punches in the fight, and he seemed to dive at Joshua’s legs almost as many times.

In any other contest, a referee would surely be much more tempted to dock the fighter a point or even wave off the action, due to the boxer’s lack of desire to engage.

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For what it is worth, it still feels there is a duty to give Paul some credit. You might not like that, but the fact that Paul landed 16 punches should hoist your shoulders into an accepting shrug. It is also honourable that he climbed off the canvas three times after separate knockdowns – apparently with a broken jaw – before succumbing to a fourth in round six. He was in with Anthony Joshua, for goodness’s sake.

The issue is, where one might want to give Paul credit for simply sharing the ring with Joshua in the first place, much of this credit was erased – in the way that many fans wish Paul had been. That’s courtesy of his approach to the fight. Let’s be clear: most viewers would likely have found themselves clinging to Joshua’s legs, seeking an escape, in the way Paul did. But the viewers were the ones buying the fight (or at least signing into Netflix), not selling it.

And once again, Paul sold something that did not come to pass. The problem here is that, while we can and should criticise him for this, viewers must also take responsibility.

How many swore never to watch Paul box again, after he went eight two-minute rounds in an action-light fight with a 58-year-old Mike Tyson 13 months ago? How many of those viewers tuned in on Friday, regardless?

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Furthermore, how many will tune in for one of his future fights, once he picks the right opponent? You may tell yourself you won’t, and it’s not fair of us to tell you that your word is not worth the cost of a month’s Netflix subscription, but make no mistake: Joshua did not kill off Paul in the boxing ecosystem; the YouTuber will be back.

These pages have been more accepting and forgiving of Paul’s boxing venture than many others. He has brought countless eyeballs to the sport, and he has weaponised people’s loathing in a way that demands at least some credit, whether you can bring yourself to respect him or not. This has always been at the heart of Paul’s boxing journey: he has made his money off knowing how to wind you up, so it’s not worth falling for it, yet so many people do.

In that regard, some of this disappointment in AJ may be projection. Deep down, many viewers are probably disappointed in themselves. But the anger? Yes, you are very much allowed to be angry at Jake Paul. He sold you a fight, and fight he did not.