MIAMI – Call him crazy, but Jake Paul rates himself higher than Anthony Joshua.
Paul (12-1) takes on his biggest test to date when he meets former two-time unified heavyweight boxing champion Joshua (28-4) on Friday at Kaseya Center. The fight streams live on Netflix.
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Paul is listed as a massive underdog by every sportsbook, but he plans on shocking the world in what he says will be the biggest upset in sports history.
“I feel super calm, and I think the bigger the moment and the bigger the occasion, I just rise to it,” Paul told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during a media scrum Tuesday. “I’m just prepared for these types of moments. So, currently not a ton of nerves to be honest. On paper, the cards are stacked against me. But really in terms of boxing, I’m a better boxer than AJ, which is hilarious to say, but he’s got two left feet. He’s stiff. If I was his coach, I’d put him in a dance class first before trying to box.
“And really (I’ve just brought in) the right sparring partners to help me prepare so I can get looks that are similar to him, and that’s really just been the strategy, but I’m just going to go in there and display all my skills.”
For Paul, a win over a fighter with the stature of Joshua will only mean bigger and better things down the road.
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“When I win, my Instagram caption the day after was going to be, ‘Heavyweight champion of the world,'” Paul said. “If this fight was a couple of months ago, I’d be the heavyweight champion of the world before Dubois whatever, but I’m just getting warmed up. So, we’ll see. I’ll become the heavyweight champ, cruiserweight champ, whatever.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Jake Paul boldly declares ‘I’m a better boxer’ than Anthony Joshua
