Jake Paul has been warned that he would be risking his life if he gets into the ring with Anthony Joshua.
Brit boxing legend David Haye, 45, said that he ‘genuinely fears’ for the YouTuber, 28, if the rumoured transatlantic boxing clash goes ahead.
The former I’m A Celeb star has compared pitting Paul against the two-time world heavyweight champion to sending a ‘house cat’ into battle with ‘a lion’.
He shared his thoughts on the potential showdown between the social media star and Joshua, 36, after reports emerged suggesting a December bout is in the pipeline.
Paul was supposed to be fighting pro boxer Gervonta Davis tomorrow (14 November), but it was scrapped after damning allegations were made against his opponent in a shock lawsuit.
He has been looking for a new opponent since last week – and apparently, Joshua is stepping up to the plate.
According to The Ring reporter Mike Coppinger, Paul and the Olympic gold medalist are ‘finalising a deal’ for a heavyweight fight which will be streamed on Netflix.
In a post on X, he claimed that sources said the duo will face off in Miami next month, although an exact date has yet to be announced.
Promoter Eddie Hearn also appeared to tease the fight while discussing Joshua’s plans for his return to the ring, as the boxing star has not fought since September last year when he was defeated by Daniel Dubois.
“We will make a decision this week in terms of if he will fight this year,” he said on Tuesday (11 November). “We have to decide by this weekend basically.
“If he fights this year, it’s just gonna be a… You probably won’t even hear about it, unless it’s Jake Paul.
“Again, we’ll make that decision this week, but – outside of Jake Paul – if he fought this year, you really wouldn’t know about it.”
Paul – who has previously fought the likes of Mike Tyson and Tommy Fury – boasts an impressive win rate of 12 out of 13 fights.
Joshua, meanwhile, has triumphed in the ring 28 times and has only four losses out of 32 fights.
And in the eyes of Haye, the December bout would be downright dangerous for Paul to take part in.
“If this fight comes to fruition, I genuinely fear for Jake Paul’s life,” he told The Sun on behalf of Highbet.
“If by some miracle he were to pull off an upset, it would be bigger than Mike Tyson’s defeat against Buster Douglas.
“In boxing pedigree terms, this is like a lion vs. a house cat. Two completely different propositions.”
The former WBA heavyweight champion said his money is firmly on Joshua, while explaining he expects some protections could be put in place for Paul.
“I am struggling to believe that AJ will be allowed to freely punch Paul to the head without some sort of restriction or exhibition,” Haye added.
“Unless Anthony Joshua is in hospital, connected to a life support machine, he should find a way to victory in any way he wants.
“Paul has only 12 career wins to his name, against very modest competition. AJ is an Olympic gold medallist and two-time heavyweight champion of the world – this is absolutely crazy.”