Rising heavyweight Moses Itauma has warned Jake Paul that his December 19 fight against Anthony Joshua is “suicide,” urging the YouTuber-turned-boxer to rethink the matchup.
“Jake, please reconsider — this is suicide,” the 20-year-old British prospect said during a livestream watched by 50,000 viewers.
Itauma, who has sparred with Joshua, said Paul “has no idea what’s coming” and predicted “the scariest knockout you’ve ever seen.”
The undefeated fighter, boasting 10 knockouts in 10 professional bouts, claimed Joshua hits three times harder than anyone Paul has ever faced and even offered to spar with him “to show him real power.”
He also questioned what value the payday would have if Paul “can’t even remember his own name” after the fight.
Former WBA heavyweight champion David Haye has echoed similar concerns, calling for the bout to be cancelled for safety reasons.
The eight-round heavyweight showdown between two-time world champion Joshua and Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) is scheduled for December 19 at the Kaseya Centre in Miami and will stream live on Netflix.
At their first face-off in Miami, the 6ft 6in Joshua towered over the 6ft 1in Paul.
Joshua vowed to “break” Paul’s face and body, while Paul insisted he is prepared to die in the ring to win and has already set his sights on challenging former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury next.
“I just have to avoid that one shot for eight rounds, and I believe I can do that,” Paul said. “I want him to cut me up, I want him to break my face — but he’s going to have to kill me to stop me. I’m ready to die in the ring to win.”
Joshua responded with his own chilling warning: “If I’m being honest, I’m going to break his face, break his body, and stomp all over him.”
