Jake Paul's cryptic four-word message provides hint over Anthony Joshua fight
YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul had been in talks to face former heavyweight champion Joshua, but on Wednesday announced a November bout with 'Tank' Davis, who holds the WBA lightweight title.
Rules for the 14 November contest, at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, are yet to be announced, with a key factor being the weight disparity between the two Americans.
Paul, 28, weighed in at 199.4lb for his last fight, a cruiserweight points win over ex-world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in June. Meanwhile, 30-year-old Davis last weighed in at 133.8lb, when he controversially drew with Lamont Roach Jr in March. Therefore, the disparity between Paul and Davis's respective last weights is 65.6lb, while the influencer stands at 6ft 1in compared to his opponent's 5ft 5in.
After announcing the fight, Paul took to X/Twitter to write, 'First David, then Goliath,' in an apparent reference to his aim of facing Joshua next.
Paul's talks over a fight with Joshua, 35, collapsed over network-related issues, per The Ring. Joshua generally fights on DAZN, while Paul has boxed on both DAZN and Netflix in recent months. His bout with Chavez Jr streamed on DAZN, while his previous outing – a highly controversial fight with heavyweight legend Mike Tyson, 59, whom Paul outpointed – streamed on Netflix. Paul vs Davis is due to air on Netflix, too.
'Gervonta who has been disrespecting my name for too long,' Paul wrote on X on Wednesday (20 August). 'HIs nickname might be Tank, but I'm an FPV drone and I'm about to disable tiny boy.
'Yes, he's 1 of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world, but my motto is anyone, anytime, anyplace, against all odds. And I like my odds.'
Davis is widely regarded as one of boxing 's hardest punchers, with his 30-0 professional record including 28 knockouts. He had been in talks over a rematch with Roach Jr but will instead face Paul, whose pro record stands at 12-1 (7 KOs). Paul's sole loss came at the hands of Tommy Fury – half-brother of heavyweight star Tyson Fury – in 2023. He holds wins over numerous high-profile mixed martial artists and lesser-known boxers.
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Meanwhile, Davis's standout win was a 2022 stoppage of Ryan Garcia, and he has also beaten the likes of Rolly Romero, Mario Barrios, Isaac Cruz and Leo Santa Cruz.
Roach Jr reacted to Wednesday's news by tweeting, 'Told ya lol [laugh out loud],' adding several duck emojis, suggesting that Davis was avoiding their rematch.
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