Jake Paul faced Anthony Joshua in a highly anticipated match, and as predicted, Joshua came out on top in the sixth round. The result left Paul with a broken jaw and raised questions about how far his boxing career can go.
Following the fight, Nakisa Bidarian, Paul’s manager and co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions, suggested the loss came down to Joshua’s size advantage. Michael Bisping, former UFC middleweight champion and experienced combat sports analyst, strongly disagrees.
Bisping dismisses the size excuse
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Bisping made it clear that skill and experience were the real difference between the fighters.
“So Jake Paul lost because of the skill difference, not the size difference,” Bisping said. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to insult this guy, I’m not, but as a fighter, as a former fighter, as someone that’s very experienced in the world of mixed martial arts, and combat sports in general, this is a crazy shout.
“He lost because he was smaller. He lost because of the size difference. He also lost because he had no business being in there with him. Anthony Joshua is by far a better boxer.”
Bisping stressed that Joshua’s extensive experience against top heavyweights played a bigger role than physical measurements.
Breaking down the fight
Joshua entered with a record of 28 wins and 4 losses, including bouts against Oleksandr Usyk, Wladimir Klitschko, and Daniel Dubois. Paul tried to stay mobile and manage distance, occasionally dropping to his knees to avoid heavy punches, but Joshua steadily pressed forward. Eventually, the veteran closed the fight decisively.
Bisping noted that while Paul did clinch and tire during the match, this was due to his own actions rather than a physical disadvantage.
“Of course, this guy’s his manager, so he’s going to spin it,” Bisping said. “But there’s a reason why we have managers. We have managers to protect us from ourselves. To say, ‘Hold on a minute. That’s crazy. Don’t box Anthony Joshua. You might leave in a coffin.
“But this guy now afterwards is defending it still and saying he lost because he got tired. He did get tired and there was a lot of clinching, but the clinching was from Jake Paul, from him shooting, from him actually getting double underhooks, from him doing anything he could when Anthony Joshua moved forward to stop the punches being thrown. When you’re clinching, you can’t throw punches, and the referee should have got in there a lot quicker as well. But for this guy to be blaming it on the size only and not the skill is insane.”
Advice for future bouts
While critical, Bisping acknowledged Paul’s accomplishments and advised choosing opponents more carefully in the future.
“Jake Paul’s made loads of money, he’s had lots of big, lucrative fights, and he probably will continue to have more, and I wish him the best of luck, I really do,” Bisping said. “Just box someone your own size. Not a ‘35er, not a super heavyweight, not a two-time world champion or a gold medalist at the Olympics. Fight a cruiserweight and fight someone up and coming, simple as that. And then everyone will give him a ton of respect.”
For Bisping, the lesson is straightforward. The difference between Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua was skill and experience, not inches or pounds. He believes understanding that reality is essential for Paul’s continued success in boxing.
