POV: A Fight Too Far? (Joe Citrone)

On 17th November, it was announced, to much backlash, controversy and debate, that YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul will be fighting former heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua in December.

In our latest POV column, Joe Citrone shares his thoughts…

Well, we didn’t see this coming, did we?

There have been whispers over the years that Jake Paul would take on a big name in boxing after making his mark online, fighting fellow YouTubers, then stepping up to face UFC names like Tyron Woodley and Nate Diaz.

However, surely no one really could envisage a scenario that someone like Paul, who, at the time when Joshua famously defeated Wladimir Klitschko in 2017, was a YouTube and Disney star who had never stepped foot in a boxing ring ever before.

Try going back to that moment and explaining to either man, or to any boxing fan, that eight years later they’d be squaring off. It sounds absurd, yet here we are.

It’s wild, and the fact that this will almost certainly do massive numbers on Netflix doesn’t exactly present the current state of boxing in the best light, but does it, as many have suggested, destroy the legacy of Joshua?

It probably goes a long way to revealing Joshua’s current position in the sport after those defeats to Oleksandr Usyk. He’s already fought Francis Ngannou, and now he’s fighting Paul. World titles are no longer on his mind. He’s cashing out on the sport.

Is there anything wrong with that? Well, it’s not a great look considering Joshua has spent so many years talking about ‘legacy’, but it’s probably a logical move with retirement likely on the horizon and his best years in the rear-view mirror.

I don’t think it spoils the legacy. You don’t have to like Joshua, but he’ll always be that guy who came from humble beginnings in Watford who rose to the very summit of the sport, and that should be respected and will always be set in stone. This doesn’t change that.

And as for Paul, even if his personality isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, you’ve got to acknowledge the impact he’s made at this point.

Views of authors do not necessarily represent views of Star Sports Bookmakers.

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