JAKE PAUL revealed he is goading Anthony Joshua about being knocked out – as their “s*** talking” ramps up behind the scenes.
Paul audaciously called out the two-time heavyweight champion on his podcast earlier this year – vowing to knock Joshua out.
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It did not take long for AJ to quite literally call the prankster-turned-prizefighter’s bluff by phoning him up – but Paul countered by suggesting a 2026 fight date.
And Paul has now revealed the two are already goading each other privately over social media – as all’s fair in love and war.
He said: “It was all nice, we’ve been cordial. He DMd me today like saying “LOL” to one of my training clips and then I sent him a “LOL” of of him getting knocked out.
“And so I guess like we’re kind of s*** talking, behind the scenes a bit. But I have a lot of love for Anthony Joshua.
“I think this type of stuff is funny and he’s a great guy and I think just a fight between us would be awesome and I do believe I can win.”
Joshua, 35, is yet to fight since being KO’d by Daniel Dubois, 27, at Wembley in September having undergone elbow surgery in May.
Promoter Eddie Hearn revealed AJ hopes to return before the year is over – meanwhile Paul faces ex-middleweight world champ Julio Cesar Chavez Jr on June 28.
It comes after he stepped up to heavyweight in November to face Mike Tyson – who controversially made a comeback aged 58.
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Still over 100 MILLION tuned in to watch Paul’s eight-round points win on Netflix – but it came at the cost of piling on TWO STONE.
And Paul – who gorged on pasta, steaks and potatoes to bulk up – admitted the heavyweight jump was “brutal”.
The 28-year-old added: “It was just too much and my body wasn’t made for it and even when I got into the ring I just felt too fat.
“So cruiserweight is definitely the perfect weight for me.”
Paul will come down from 16st 2lb to the 200lb cruiserweight limit of 14st 4lb to face Chavez in California.
It followed after Canelo Alvarez, 34, pulled out of a shock deal to fight Paul in Las Vegas on May 3 – instead signing with Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh.
Canelo – who beat Chavez on points in 2017 – regained his undisputed super-middleweight titles with victory over William Scull in May.
And now he defends the 168lb thrown in a September 13 super-fight against unbeaten American Terence Crawford, 37, as Paul was forced to look elsewhere.
But he said: “Chavez and I have been going back and forth for a long time and he’s always been a great opponent on the list of someone that I wanted to fight.
“And now it made perfect sense to go up against him as a former world champion and just continuing to further my resume and get more time under the lights.”
Paul also revealed he is in talks to fight current cruiserweight champions Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, 33, and Badou Jack, 41.
And with Gervonta Davis, 30, also lined up for an exhibition bout – Paul says he is boxing’s most desired man.
He joked: I’m like like Megan Fox from Transformers movie like everyone wants me! So there’s not enough time to do it all and it could make sense. Look, it might.
“It might line up but at the end of the day, there’s 100 people that want to fight me. I got Canelo, Gervonta, Anthony Joshua, Badou, Zurdo, Tommy Fury, KSI, the list keeps on going.
“It’s just about what makes sense and we’ll see when the negotiations come but I would for sure entertain a fight with him.”
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