Frank Smith Predicts AJ Blitzes Jake Paul Early

Matchroom CEO Frank Smith foresees a quick ending next month with Anthony Joshua knocking out Jake Paul in the first round in their eight-round fight on December 19th.

Smith laughs at the belief that Jake (12-1, 7 KOs) has in the 36-year-old Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) being chinny. He thinks that idea was planted in Paul’s head by those around him, who are boosting his confidence.

Still, it’s hard not to view that as being a credible belief, given how AJ looked in his knockout loss in his last fight against Daniel Dubois. Joshua looked like a human yo-yo, being dropped four times before the massacre ended in the fifth. He was in trouble from the first round in that fight.

“It is risky. I think Jake Paul’s crazy. I think he’s delusional, but respect to him for doing it. He’s getting a load of money,” said Matchroom CEO Frank Smith to talkSport Boxing about Jake Paul facing Anthony Joshua on December 19th. “I don’t think it goes past the first round. Regardless, it’s quite irrelevant.

Joshua might be the one who is crazy for taking this risky fight. He’s still hoping Turki Alalshikh will line him up with a fight against Tyson Fury in 2026, and he could have taken a light-hitting journeyman as his run-out opponent in December. The 28-year-old Jake can punch, and he has that Gerrie Coetzee-esque quick release to his right-hand shots.

“I think he steps across the ring and knocks him [Jake Paul] out. But we’re in for a bit of tune, and everyone is going to be tuning in. I think Jake Paul is absolutely mental for doing this,” said Smith. “I think he has people around him that are saying, ‘Anthony Joshua is chinny.’ He said it in interviews. It’s quite wild, but if that’s the world he wants to live in, he’ll find out on December 19th.

“That’s the fight we want to make. That’s the fight we want to see,” said Smith about a fight between Joshua and Tyson Fury. “That’s definitely what we want to see in 2026. It’s one of the biggest fights in the sport, and I’m very hopeful we’ll see that.”