The Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua fight on Netflix was definitely an experience. I honestly had my doubts this fight would even happen. From the initial Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua press conference, I didn’t think Jake Paul had a chance to beat Anthony Joshua. But once the lights dimmed and the fighters came out, then I knew it was on for real.
Press Conference
The initial Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua press conference felt like it was just a publicity stunt to make up for the Gervonta Davis canceled fight. Anthony Joshua was a more experienced fighter who had size and weight on Jake Paul. There was no way they were going to let this fight happen.
I thought Jake Paul would get injured in training or something like that. I could see the fear in Jake Paul’s eyes and while he was boasting and bragging, you could see he was honestly scared. He wasn’t fighting geriatric boxers anymore; he was fighting a guy who was still considered in his prime.
Open Workouts
Of course when the fight is in Miami it only makes sense that the open workouts would be held at the LIV nightclub. LIV isn’t a very big club and the dance floor was turned into a boxing ring with a ramp from the stage to the edge. While it was open workouts for a majority of the fighters that were fighting on fight night there were also three live bouts sprinkled in between the workouts.
It was difficult to get any clean shots of the fighters other than them walking down a ramp from the stage to the ring. Trainers, security, their entourage and “influencers” blocked any clean shots. Now I get security and the trainers in the ring, but these influencers aren’t there to promote the fight. They’re there to promote themselves. They weren’t there watching the undercards train or watch the bouts, they were sitting on couches at LIV with their iPhone on a tripod and just filming themselves inside LIV.
When it came time for Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul to come out, they magically sprung from the couches, rushed to the ramp and stuck their cellphones up blocking everyone so they can get their “content.” One influencer thought he could just magically weasel his way to where I was and try to move me out of the way. He quickly learned what a 70-200 lens feels like to the back of the head.
You try not to be a dick and work with people, but these influencers are only there for themselves. They’re out there trying to look important for their paid for followers. The fact they even had a media credential for anything related to the Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua fight was mind blowing. They’re not media, just self indulged jerks with no awareness whatsoever.
Final Weigh-in
The final weigh-in for the Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua bout was the circus sideshow I thought it would be. Influencers with media passes not wanting to sit further back with the media, because they thought they were more important than the actual media was one of my highlights for sure. And for some added flair each fighter would stand on opposite columns that would elevate them into the air.
After all the undercard fighters weighed in and faced-off for the final time before their fight, the main event fighters took the stage. After the weigh-in, the final stare down was something to behold. You could see the fear in Jake Paul’s eyes even with his braggadocious behavior on stage. For most of the media events leading up to the fight, Anthony Joshua was calm and jovial, but when Jake Paul touched his face, you could see something trigger in Joshua. He lost that smile and laughter and it was like killer mode was activated.
Fight Night
Up until I walked into the arena to check in for the fight I had no idea where I would be shooting. I would have loved ring side, but I was lucky enough to sit with other wire service photographers in an elevated position. All the other influencers with their media passes were relegated higher up to the press box.
Ringside looked like a circus. Netflix cameras all around. One side of the ring was basically a VIP suite and the other side was full of content people with their cellphones and gimbals trying to get the shot.
I liked my view from the elevated position. I had a nice view of the entrance from the dressing rooms to the ring. I could see the ring in it’s entirety and I could grab wide shots of the arena as well.
Before we got to the main course we had a lot undercard fights; 7 or 8 I believe. Some fights were over in the first round, others went to decision. And honestly these fights weren’t filled with drama or any real excitement. The crowds were sparse and slowly filled up as the undercards went on.
When it was time for the main bout, then things started to really pick up. Anthony Joshua walked out first and then Jake Paul came out dressed like Hulk Hogan with the clown Tekashi 6ix9ine rapping, if you will, to the ring. The best part of that was when they cut of his mic and he was still trying to turn it on.
As I mentioned earlier, it was clear Jake Paul was scared. Not amount of prancing or fake bravado would change that. He was dancing around the ring, making faces, then falling down grabbing onto Anthony Joshua. This bizarre display of boxing went on for a few rounds. It was embarrassing to witness frankly.
After the 4th or 5th time Paul grappled with the legs of Joshua, Anthony Joshua became enraged. You saw his demeanor change. He upped the power and strength in which he threw his punches and it showed. Jake Paul’s head was just getting peppered and Jake had no place to go.
Anthony knocked him down a few times and then in the 6th round, he put him down for good. Two punches to the face and Jake Paul’s jaw was broken in both places. The ref waved the fight over as it was clear Jake Paul was about to get massacred in the ring. He provoked the proverbial tiger and that tiger attacked.
For the next hour or so we were transmitting images from all the fights to our respective outlets. I think a lot of us were hoping for a Jake Paul knockout. If this went the full distance to a split decision, then everyone would have claimed it was rigged in his favor, but this outcome made two things abundantly clear; 1. Jake Paul got knocked out and 2. Jake Paul is better at fighting people way past their prime to make him look good. The same way Floyd Merriweather would only fight fighters who were clearly before or after their prime.
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