UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Anthony Joshua’s 2013 professional debut, following Olympic gold in London, was hailed as the beginning of a new era as boxing crowned its next star.
Around the same time, a 16-year-old Ohio prankster named Jake Paul began making six-second Vine videos in which he talked to pineapples in supermarkets and got into other people’s shopping carts to make jokes.
Over ten years later, the two had reached the same destination by very different paths.
They will square off in a professional heavyweight fight on Friday in Miami, which still seems a little surreal.
“I’m not worried about what people think about the integrity side, I’m more worried about are they talking?”
Joshua says.
“That’s the whole point of this fight. It creates conversation.”
According to Kal Sajad of BBC Sports, Paul claims he will “shock the world” and become the “king of boxing” because he is fearless.
Under professional regulations, they will compete in eight three- minute rounds at the Kaseya Center while wearing standard 10- ounce gloves. Joshua’s weight limit was 17st 7 lb( 111 kg).
How did Joshua’s debut shape his early pro career?
Anthony Joshua’s dominant first-round TKO over Emanuele Leo on October 5, 2013, at London’s O2 Arena validated his Olympic gold hype, launching a 15- fight knockout band that defined his rapid-fire ascent to heavyweight stardom.
The vended- out debut, promoted by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Sport, showcased Joshua’s power dropping Leo doubly before the cessation drawing massive media attention and securing high- profile undercards, leading to the WBC International title palm over Denis Bakhtov in his ninth bout just a time latterly.
This propelled matchmaking against contenders like Dillian Whyte( 2015 British/ state titles) and Charles Martin( 2016 IBF crown), amassing£ 50m pocketbooks by 2017 junction; the coronation narrative fueled marketable deals, turning the 24- time-old into a global brand pre-Klitschko.