Sean O’Malley admits he fears for Jake Paul’s safety in upcoming boxing match with Anthony Joshua: “I’m scared”

Sean O’Malley admits he is concerned for his friend Jake Paul in his upcoming boxing match with Anthony Joshua.

Paul (12-1) will square off with the former two-time heavyweight champion in Joshua (28-4) on December 19th at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. It is a matchup that caught many fans and pundits by surprise, as ‘The Problem Child’ was originally slated to compete in an exhibition bout with WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis. That proposed ‘Tank’ matchup ultimately fell apart, and Paul signed on to fight Joshua instead.

For former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley, who is a good friend of Jake Paul’s, the upcoming bout with Anthony Joshua is cause for concern.

“Did you see the size difference between Anthony? Did you see how f**king huge that guy is? 6’6, 265,” O’Malley said on his YouTube channel (h/t MMAJunkie). “This fight, as a friend of Jake, is like, I’m scared. Getting knocked out by someone like that changes lives. It doesn’t change just your career path; it can change lives. It can change the way you think. Getting knocked out, bad concussions are scary. You have one f**king brain, and he’s willing to go out there and fight. Like, that is absolutely f**king insane. Like, it scares me.”

Sean O’Malley continued by suggesting that if Jake Paul can go the distance with Anthony Joshua, that in itself would be a win.

“If Jake goes to a decision and loses a decision to A.J., I think that’s a win. That’s a massive win. If he goes out there and goes eight, three-minute rounds with Anthony Joshua, that is a win.”

As for ‘Suga’, it was recently announced that the former bantamweight champion will return on January’s UFC 324 main card lineup for a bout with Song Yadong.

O’Malley (18-3 MMA) will enter the contest with hopes of snapping a two-fight losing skid. ‘Suga’ most recently competed at June’s UFC 317 event, where he fell short in his attempt to regain the title from rival Merab Dvalishvili. O’Malley most recent win came back at UFC 299 in March of 2024, where he earned a decision victory over Marlon Vera to successfully defend the promotion‘s 135lbs title.

Meanwhile, Song Yadong (22-8-1 MMA) most recently competed at February’s UFC event in Seattle, where he earned a technical decision victory over former title holder Henry Cejudo. Prior to that triumph, ‘The Kung Fu Kid’ was coming off a decision loss to Petr Yan.

Are you surprised that Jake Paul signed on to box Anthony Joshua? How do you see the bout playing out?