Boxing

Oleksandr Usyk Sends Jake Paul Ominous Prayer Before Anthony Joshua Fight

Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk sent a bleak message about Jake Paul's upcoming bout against Anthony Joshua..
Grant Young|
Jake Paul
Jake Paul | IMAGO / Goal Sports Images

Many members of the boxing community have made their concern about Jake Paul fighting Anthony Joshua extremely clear.

For example, former unified cruiserweight world champion and WBA heavyweight champion David Haye said, "I hope we've got a referee in there who's quite compassionate because if Jake Paul is left up against the ropes with Anthony Joshua unloading on him, it could be the end for him. It could be his last day on earth," during an interview with Sky News on November 17.

Asserting that somebody could die in the ring is nothing to joke about, given the fact that deaths can and do occur within the sweet science. But Haye was clearly being serious.

And if there's one person who could inflict potentially lethal damage in a bout, it's probably the 6'6", 245-pound Anthony Joshua, as he's typically viewed as the most devastating puncher in the heavyweight division.

Anthony Joshua
Anthony Joshua | IMAGO / PA Images

If there's one advantage that Jake Paul can glean from having much less experience than Joshua, it's that his chin hasn't been put to the test nearly as much, which should make him less susceptible to getting knocked out by a single punch from the former two-time heavyweight champion (in theory).

Then again, Joshua can knock anybody out with one punch. And even if Paul proved capable of withstanding these shots, getting hit repeatedly by Joshua will not bode well for his brain.

Oleksandr Usyk Delivers Bleak Message to Jake Paul

Jake Paul has gone on record saying that he is taking inspiration from heavyweight great Oleksandr Usyk ahead of his December 19 bout against Joshua, given that Usyk was able to beat Joshua twice despite having a marked size disadvantage (although Usyk is two inches taller than Paul).

However, Usyk doesn't seem to think Paul should be feeling confident at all, which he conveyed when speaking to reporters at the WBC Convention on December 1.

"If Anthony Joshua wants, he can kill this guy," Usyk said of Joshua fighting Jake Paul, per an X post from Ring Magazine. He then added, "I will pray [for] Jake Paul because I want to fight Jake Paul in the octagon."

Usyk is alluding to potentially fighting against Paul in an MMA bout, which both have spoken about in the past. However, given that Joshua has enough power in his punches to end Paul's professional fighting career, Usyk has a clear reason to hope that he leaves the ring healthy after this bout ends.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young is a Staff Writer for On SI’s Boxing, New York Mets, Indiana Fever, and Women’s Fastbreak sites. Before joining SI in 2024, he wrote for various boxing and sports verticals such as FanBuzz and NY Fights. Young has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in creative writing with an emphasis on sports nonfiction from the University of San Francisco, where he played five seasons of Division 1 baseball. He fought Muay Thai professionally in Thailand in 2023, loves a good essay, and is driven crazy trying to handle a pitpull puppy named Aura. Young lives in San Diego and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.