Even after standing toe-to-toe with a decorated boxer seemingly twice his size, Jake Paul remains one of the most polarizing figures in sports.
The YouTube-star-turned-boxing-sensation returned to the center of controversy following his highly anticipated boxing match with two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, which saw Paul get knocked out in the sixth round Friday night.
The bout, held at Miami’s Kaseya Center and streamed live on Netflix, largely drew criticism from analysts and fans around the boxing world.
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, however, pushed back against them and gave his props to Paul.
“If you don’t respect what Jake Paul just did you are a lifetime hater,” posted Dave Portnoy, who earlier joined the broadcast in light of Barstool Sports recently signing a podcasting deal with Netflix.
Many others lambasted the lackluster performances from each fighter.
“[Paul’s] due respect for sharing the ring with AJ,” posted SunSport’s Chisagna Malata, “but that performance wasn’t praiseworthy.”
Added Kevin Iole, a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame: “What a complete abomination of a fight. Anthony Joshua ought to be embarrassed. And Netflix ought to be embarrassed for putting on such a horrendous card. Wow, that was bad.”
While the 28-year-old Paul (12–2, 7 KOs) lived to tell the tale after his “David vs. Goliath” matchup, many were quick to point out that the “Problem Child” spent much of the fight dancing around the ring to avoid getting hit — and even shooting for takedowns.
Meanwhile, the 36-year-old Joshua (29–4, 26 KOs) largely refrained from stepping on the gas pedal.
“This is horrifying,” posted Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix during the bout.
The crowd, starving for a finish, grew antsier with each passing minute — and by the fourth round, it reached a point where even the referee was ready to cut the “crap.”
“Both ya’ll come here,” referee Christopher Young told Paul and Joshua on a hot mic during the fourth round.
“Fans didn’t pay to see this crap, OK? You gonna fight, you gonna fight, but fight within the rules. OK? Touch ’em up, fight clean.”
Joshua found his distance across the fifth and sixth rounds, and the fight finally reached its seemingly inevitable conclusion when the British heavyweight landed flush on a devastating right hand that sent Paul careening to the canvas for the fourth and final time — shattering his jaw in the process.
Despite the largely underwhelming event, Paul’s performance earned him the respect of some for simply surviving six rounds with an Olympic gold medalist who held a 27-pound and five-inch height advantage.
While it wasn’t enough to silence all his critics, Paul’s legitimate clash with one of heavyweight division’s current top dogs was at least a step in the right direction from past-their-time MMA stars and an antiquated Mike Tyson.
And Paul, who remained in good spirits after the fight, emphasized that he’s not leaving the ring anytime soon — whether fans like it or not.
