Joshua faces weight cut for Paul fight

Anthony Joshua faces a gruelling battle with the scales ahead of his clash with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.

The boxing fraternity were left stunned earlier this month after reports emerged that both Joshua and Paul were finalising a deal to meet in the ring this Christmas.

Last week, the two teams were able to strike a deal – with the contest expected to take place on December 19 in Miami.

Their bout will be staged over eight three-minute rounds, with both men set to wear 10oz gloves. Joshua, 36, has been told he cannot weigh more than 245lb for the contest. The Brit is currently weighing around 265lb – which means he will have to lost 20lb within the next three weeks for his fight with Paul to be made official.

Fans were left shocked after it was confirmed that Joshua had to weigh a certain amount for a heavyweight outing. Discussing Joshua’s current physical condition, his promoter, Eddie Hearn, told BBC 5 Live: “I spoke to [Joshua] and he was sitting at 265 pounds or something like that. I think I told Nakisa that he was 290 pounds or something like that.

“I said I’m not interested in balloon gloves and two-minute rounds but he said it was a real fight. I asked if it was 10 rounds or eight rounds, they said fine to eight.

They said: ‘The only thing is that Jake will weigh about 220 pounds and we want AJ to come down in weight.’ He’s a heavyweight and hasn’t cut weight before. They said: ‘Look we’re not being funny and it’s not that we need an advantage but we need you to have some disadvantage.’”

For Joshua, in his eyes, the weight cut will be worth it. According to the Daily Mail, the official prize pot for the contest is £140million, with both men set to pocket up to £70m each. The former two-time heavyweight champion is clearly leaving no stone unturned ahead of the fight after revealing he will be trained by ex-rival Oleksandr Usyk.

Ahead of their jaw-dropping showcase, the two stars went face-to-face in Miami just days after their fight was made official. The huge size disparity was on full display after Joshua towered over his upcoming opponent. Many expect the fight to be short-lived – with ‘AJ’ expected to blitz through the ‘Problem Child.’

Joshua himself has admitted that only an early finish will suffice. “It’s not a win for me if I just beat him; I need to knock him out,” he said. “I’m going to break his face and break his body. I’m here to prove I’m the better fighter and will do that until I stop fighting. I’m going to go in there and do a job. I want to hurt him, I’m going to want to really hurt him in the ring.