Former champion shares strong opinions on Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua

Ben Day has a lot to say about the upcoming fight between Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua

Former Southern Area lightweight champion, Ben Day (8-2-1, 3 KOs), shared his expert view on the upcoming controversial clash between YouTuber Jake Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) and two-time world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) on December 19 in the U.S.

The unlikely lads will meet in Miami, live on Netflix, in a fight which is essentially a novice taking on a man who has conquered the world at heavyweight in both amateur and professional ranks. Two stipulations in place to use 10oz gloves and a weight limit of 245lbs will slightly alter the odds, but it's still a dangerous mismatch.

Ben Day, a 47-year-old boxing gym owner, has very strong opinions on the subject of this fight and shared his views exclusively with BBN.

He begun by defending AJ's decision and giving props to Paul, "Firstly, tell me anyone who wouldn’t turn down that kind of money that’s been offered on the table? We all would do it.

"Secondly, I give Jake Paul huge respect, as that man has huge testicles to take on this fight, as we all know that AJ is an Olympic gold medalist and two-time heavyweight champion of the world.

"Even 98% of professional boxers don’t have the understanding and insight I have in this sport.

"I didn't have a single amateur fight, I went straight into the professional ranks and, believe me from experience, it’s no joke; and I didn't even have Jake Paul’s pressure with all the millions that tune in to watch him.

"You can spar as many times as you like, but nothing will give you that same experience under those lights.

"My first ever fight, I remember it all moving in slow motion. I threw a punch and it felt like to took forever to land, everything was a complete blur and everything I had worked on in training just goes out of the window because you haven’t experienced this occasion before - the lights, the cameras, the crowd, the noise, the referee, the size of those little gloves... I could go on and on, but what got me through most of my fights was heart, will, and desire, and it wasn’t until my Southern Area title fight after nine bouts in that I finally started to relax and enjoy my craft and the sweet science, but this is what most fighters learn during their extensive amateur careers.

"So when you may think to yourself watching fights on TV that wasn’t a good performance, you must take all of this into consideration.

"What I struggle to understand about the criticism Jake Paul receives is who cares what a man does in his life, why are so many people bothered?

"There are, and always will be, far more problems in boxing than YouTubers and Jake Paul.

"He’s adding more eyes to the sport; that’s a good thing.

"Concentrate on your own problems and you may go further in whatever you desire.

"Eddie Hearn said AJ will get paid a load of money to knock out Jake Paul and it will be a pleasure to see….

"That actually pissed me off because people are forgetting the dangers of the sport, especially more so at heavyweight.

"This is so dangerous for Jake because his chin isn’t conditioned as a pro.

"It's really bad that this bout has been sanctioned because it’s like a white collar fighter getting matched up against one of the best heavyweights in the game right now.

"If this was a gym show, a white collar, unlicensed or amateur fight this would never be matched up because of the different levels of both fighters.

"Even a professional matchmaker would never match these two up and this us why it’s very dangerous and it’s not long until someone gets seriously hurt and all in the name of money."

Another British heavyweight also shared Ben's sentiment, believing that Jake Paul should not put his wealth before his health, posing the question, "Is it worth it?" suggesting that the American may be making money, but unwisely at the expense of his own health read more...

Day continued to put his professional point across, "I know many people say these fights are rigged and Jake’s opponents all take a dive, but that’s illegal due to betting rights, but maybe there’s certain clauses in the contract that only the team know about."

There are two stipulations in place for Paul-Joshua, designed to limit AJ's strength by only allowing him to weigh 245lbs and by using 10oz gloves. The last time Joshua weighed less than 245lbs was over three years ago in his August 2022 rematch with Oleksandr Usyk. Now aged 36, with 15 months out of the ring, the 6ft 6in heavyweight could weaken himself when cutting down in weight, which is something heavyweights don't often have to do like the lower weight categories.

Ben added, "Having said that, how many more millions does AJ want? In the boxing hall of fame and BoxRec, it doesn’t mention career earnings, it mentions legacy - something to think about. Better to chase the big names over the money."

Owner of Ringtone Boxing Gym in Euston, London, Day concluded, "So, give Jake Paul some bloody credit here to take on AJ, he’s mad!

"AJ wins by KO, but I hope Jake comes out safe and well."