Jake Paul blasts Francis Ngannou comparison before Anthony Joshua fight

Jake Paul has slammed those who are comparing him to Francis Ngannou ahead of his showdown with Anthony Joshua.

Paul will share the ring with Joshua on Friday inside the Kaseya Center in Miami. It’ll be a professional heavyweight boxing match scheduled for eight rounds. “The Problem Child” is a massive underdog going into the fight. Most combat sports experts believe Paul will suffer the same fate that Ngannou did when he fought Joshua.

During the final press conference hyping up Paul vs. Joshua, “El Gallo” made it clear that he is none too pleased with the Ngannou comparison (h/t MMAFighting).

“I just look at how bad of a boxer Francis is,” Paul said. “Stuck in mud and just sitting there to get hit. Just a completely different fighter. It does nothing.

“I’ve experienced it myself fighting smaller guys. You can’t load up all your power because you don’t know where they’re going to be to hit them. It’s all these boxing geniuses on Twitter that have never stepped foot in a boxing ring.”

Paul went on to explain why he doesn’t care what the naysayers are thinking ahead of his fight against Joshua to close out 2025.

“I don’t give a f*ck about what these people are saying,” Paul said. “They’re always going to have some excuse. I take it as the deepest compliment that they chalk up what I’m doing to being rigged, fake fights — that’s how incredible and the level I’m on and the amazing things that I’m doing, they can only chalk it up to this fake storyline and he’s paying them hundreds of millions of dollars to take a dive. I take that as a compliment.”

Some are questioning if Paul’s pro boxing career could be over after Friday. The polarizing personality figures to remain in the industry regardless if he fights again, given that he runs Most Valuable Promotions. Paul has been credited for his efforts to promote women’s boxing.