Jake Paul Thinks He’s Muhammad Ali Now – How a YouTuber Convinced Himself He’ll Shock the World Against Anthony Joshua
Jake Paul has become boxing’s supreme contrarian by comparing himself to Muhammad Ali ahead of his Anthony Joshua match. At just 28 years old, the YouTuber-turned-boxer carries a professional record of 12 wins and just one loss into his December 19 heavyweight showdown against Anthony Joshua in Miami, and he’s comparing himself to perhaps the sport’s greatest showman. The comparison extends beyond mere hype – Paul genuinely believes he represents boxing’s future the way Ali reshaped the sport decades ago.
Jake Paul Compares Himself to Muhammad Ali ahead of Anthony Joshua match
“I know everybody’s looking at it like, ‘This is Anthony Joshua, you’re going to get smoked in a round or two.’ But I’ve heard that my whole career. I heard that before Tyron Woodley, before Anderson Silva, before Mike Tyson. I keep proving people wrong. I’m quoting Muhammad Ali on this one: I’m going to shock the world. Styles make fights and I truly believe I beat him. Not hope, not maybe – I believe I beat Anthony Joshua,” Paul stated.
Paul‘s only professional defeat came in February 2023 via split decision to Tommy Fury, a loss that stung precisely because it marked his rare misstep. Since then, he’s won six consecutive fights, including a November 2024 victory over Mike Tyson that shattered viewership records on Netflix, followed by a June 2025 unanimous decision triumph over former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Joshua presents the most formidable challenge Paul has faced. The 36-year-old former two-time unified heavyweight champion enters coming off a September 2024 knockout loss to Daniel Dubois and a 14-month ring absence, factors Paul believes he can exploit. But the size disparity looms large. Joshua weighs in at 245 pounds with a 82-inch reach, towering over Paul’s 200-pound cruiserweight frame and 76-inch reach. The bout, officially billed “Judgment Day,” will take place at Miami’s Kaseya Center on December 19 as an eight-round professional contest featuring 10-ounce gloves.
When Andy Ruiz Jr. defeated Joshua on June 1, 2019, at Madison Square Garden as a 25-to-1 underdog, boxing fundamentally shifted. Ruiz’s round-seven technical knockout ended Joshua’s previously undefeated streak and stunned a sport accustomed to hierarchies. Paul references that upset directly, telling media the Joshua fight represents “Andy Ruiz 2.0,” positioning himself as the underdog with tools that could confound a heavyweight relying on raw power.
Yet boxing’s established gatekeepers remain unconvinced. Joshua enters as a minus-200 favorite with most oddsmakers, while Paul sits at plus-600. These critiques stem from the mismatch in championship experience, Joshua has contested thirteen world title bouts while Paul has never competed for elite-level belts, and physical discrepancies that seem mathematically impossible for Paul to overcome.
Paul’s methodology involves exploiting those exact gaps. He’s stated plainly that he must avoid Joshua’s power shots while picking apart points across eight rounds, believing his speed and footwork create openings that conventional heavyweights wouldn’t find. Whether that strategy holds against an opponent with Joshua’s resume represents the test case for whether Paul’s boxing odyssey constitutes legitimate evolution or elaborate marketing.
