Anthony Joshua v Jake Paul: Former heavyweight champion clarifies ‘kill’ comments before fight

Anthony Joshua has controversially stated that boxers hold a “licence to kill” as he prepares to go head-to-head with Jake Paul in Miami this Friday.

The former world heavyweight champion and the YouTuber-turned-boxer faced off at a final pre-fight press conference on Wednesday night local time.

The controversial comments followed Tyson Fury labelling Joshua a “classless loser” for his reference to killing in the boxing ring during open workouts, where Joshua had declared: “If I can kill you, I will kill you.”

Asked to respond to the earlier remarks, Joshua defended his stance, stating: “That’s my job. We fight. We have a licence to kill. Many people don’t understand it, but this is what my job is.”

Concerns have been raised about the disparity in size, experience, and class between the two fighters.

Former unified world champion Joshua is set to take on Paul, a cruiserweight rookie with a record of 12 wins and one defeat.

Paul said he was unfazed by the challenge: “I’m ready. I want his hardest punches.”

Paul, who earlier this week said he wanted to create the biggest upset in sporting history by defeating Joshua, also shared a wishlist of future opponents, including Fury, Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez.

“No one’s done more for the sport of boxing in the last decade than myself,” Paul said of Friday’s match-up.

“I think if people really cared about boxing, they’d want me to win.”

The bout between Joshua and Paul will not be an exhibition but rather a professional contest, meaning the result will go on each man’s record and a knockout is possible.

Joshua’s record stands at 28-4 (25 KO wins), and the Briton has beaten the likes of Wladimir Klitschko, Dillian Whyte, Joseph Parker, Alexander Povetkin and Kubrat Pulev, while also facing Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois at the elite level.

Joshua has not fought since September 2024, when he was knocked out by Dubois at Wembley Stadium, suffering four knockdowns en route to defeat – the fourth loss of his career and second by stoppage.

Paul, meanwhile, is 12-1 (seven KO wins) as a professional and has defeated – among others – former boxing world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, former UFC champions Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva, and heavyweight boxing icon Mike Tyson, who was 58 at the time they fought.

Fury and Joshua are being lined up for their long-awaited showdown later next year and the ‘Gypsy King’ used social media to attack his rival.