Jake Paul struggles to speak as he explains ‘biggest mistake’ he made before sore Anthony Joshua defeat
Jake Paul, visibly struggling to speak following surgery, has admitted that failing to train at altitude was his “biggest mistake” ahead of his heavyweight clash with Anthony Joshua.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer suffered a devastating knockout in the sixth round last Friday, leaving him with a fractured jaw that required four titanium plates to repair.
Speaking on the IMPAULSIVE podcast, Paul acknowledged his cardio let him down against the former unified heavyweight champion.
“I should have gone to altitude to train,” he said.
“That was my biggest mistake. I felt good about [my camp], yeah. But I just needed to have that extra level of cardio for this, and that only can come from going to altitude.”
The bout at Miami’s Kaseya Center ended brutally for Paul, with Joshua sending him to the canvas for the final time in the opening moments of the sixth round.
Paul was rushed to hospital immediately after the fight, where surgeons discovered his jaw had snapped in two separate places.
Jake Paul, visibly struggling to speak following surgery, has admitted that failing to train at altitude was his “biggest mistake” ahead of his heavyweight clash with Anthony Joshua
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The 28-year-old also lost several teeth from the devastating blow.
Describing the extent of his injuries to his brother Logan on the podcast episode that aired on Tuesday, Paul said: “It’s like there’s a baseball in there. Four titanium plates. It’s literally snapped, bro, completely snapped.”
Joshua had already floored Paul twice during the fifth round before delivering the finishing blow.
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Paul had originally been scheduled to face lightweight Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis last month, but that bout fell through following domestic violence allegations against Davis, which he denies.
Rather than seeking another opponent closer to his natural weight, Paul opted to jump multiple divisions to take on the two-time unified heavyweight champion.
Joshua entered the ring at 6-foot-6 and 243.4 pounds, presenting an enormous physical challenge.
Paul conceded he had just three weeks to prepare for the fight and wished he could have added more muscle mass.
“It was just mental,” he explained.
“It was just like, him imposing his will on me, and being massive, and the big shots landing. Then, yeah, it pretty much all goes downhill from there.”
Jake Paul was left reeling following his defeat to Anthony Joshua but is choosing to take positives from the bout
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GETTYFrom the opening bell, Paul adopted a cautious approach, constantly moving around the ring and maintaining distance from the 36-year-old Briton.
His tactics of circling, stalling and clinching appeared designed to survive rather than engage directly with Joshua.
However, these evasive manoeuvres eventually sapped his energy, leaving him visibly exhausted by the middle rounds.
Despite the comprehensive defeat, Paul insisted he took positives from the experience.
“It’s a great experience overall to be in there with someone that’s that good. I learned a lot. I see where I could have done better,” he reflected.
“So, I’m a little disappointed, but I also know how good he is. But I had him wobbled at one point. I had him wobbled.”
