A fight that once sounded like pure fantasy – Anthony Joshua vs Jake Paul – is now close enough that serious heavyweights are weighing in. One of them is David Adeleye, a rising British big man who has both sparred Joshua and watched Paul put the work in behind closed doors. And his verdict might surprise a few people who still see this as just a YouTuber stunt.
“Jake Paul Knows Why He Asked For AJ”
Adeleye has had a close look at both men in very different settings. He’s felt Joshua’s size and power in sparring, and he’s seen Jake Paul up close in the gym during his recent run of fights.
Rather than laugh off the matchup, Adeleye calls it a “good fight” and hints that Paul’s team knew exactly what they were doing when they targeted Joshua. In his view, Paul isn’t just a loudmouth influencer cashing cheques – he’s a committed professional soaking up knowledge and paying for the best possible preparation.
According to Adeleye, Paul is constantly asking questions, eager to learn, and willing to push himself when things get tough. With serious money behind him, Paul can afford elite trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, nutritionists and private chefs. In other words, this is not a hobby for him – it’s a full-time job.
That doesn’t suddenly make the fight even on paper, but it does explain why people inside the sport aren’t dismissing it quite as quickly as some fans.
The Joshua Factor: Power, Pressure And Reputation
On the other side of the ring is Anthony Joshua, a former two-time unified heavyweight champion with knockout power that has stopped some of the best names of his era. He’s flattened big men like Dillian Whyte, Wladimir Klitschko and Kubrat Pulev, and even at 36 he remains one of the most dangerous finishers in the division.
Joshua is also under a different kind of pressure. For Paul, this is a chance at immortality and a life-changing win. For AJ, it’s a must-win. Many observers believe that anything other than a dominant, early knockout would be seen as a disaster for his reputation – and that a loss would be unthinkable.
That’s where the real edge of this fight comes from. Joshua is expected to walk through Paul. Anything less, and the questions about his future at the top level will be deafening.
Can Jake Paul Really Live With A True Heavyweight?
From a pure boxing standpoint, the size and experience gap is huge. Joshua is a natural heavyweight with years of top-level competition. Paul has only a handful of pro bouts and just one against a legitimate, prime-age boxer, which he lost on points.
But Adeleye’s perspective adds some nuance. He frames Paul as a serious student of the game, not a gimmick. Paul’s willingness to invest in top sparring, sports science and coaching means he’s closing gaps as fast as possible. He might not match Joshua for power or pedigree, but he can arrive in the ring well-conditioned, drilled, and with a smart game plan designed to survive and create moments of his own.
The key question: can he handle Joshua’s physicality when the punches start to land? Surviving those early rounds, coping with the jab, and dealing with big-man strength on the inside is a completely different world to facing faded MMA stars or smaller opponents.
What Adeleye’s Verdict Really Tells Us
Adeleye isn’t shouting that Paul will shock the world, but he’s also not laughing it off. Calling it a “good fight” from his vantage point does a couple of things:
- It confirms that Paul, behind the camera and away from the trash talk, is all-in on being a real boxer.
- It suggests that Joshua can’t sleepwalk through this one on name value alone.
- It underlines how high the stakes are: if the former unified champion doesn’t look levels above, people will question what he has left.
Most will still pick Joshua to win by knockout – especially early. But Adeleye’s insight nudges this away from being seen as a circus and more as a genuine high-risk, high-reward event that could reshape how fans view both men.
If Joshua smashes through Paul in a couple of rounds, boxing order is restored and AJ’s star power gets a huge mainstream bump. If Paul hangs in there, wins rounds, or – in the wildest scenario – finds a way to win, the shockwaves will be felt far beyond the heavyweight division.
