Jake Paul Says He Took Joshua’s Punch Better Than Ngannou

Paul compares his sparring moment with Joshua to Ngannou’s knockout loss

Jake Paul says his moment with Anthony Joshua shows he handled the heavyweight’s power better than Francis Ngannou. The YouTuber turned boxer made the comparison while discussing a possible MMA fight with Ngannou.

Jake Paul believes the outcome of Anthony Joshua’s knockout win over Francis Ngannou revealed a key difference between the two crossover fighters.

Speaking during a media session connected to Most Valuable Promotions’ upcoming MMA launch, Paul addressed Ngannou’s recent comments about the possibility of fighting him in mixed martial arts.

“Anthony Joshua had him unconscious laying on the ground for five minutes,” Paul said. “And I just stood right back up and went, ‘Whoa!’ when Anthony hit me. So I proved just in that night alone that I’m a better boxer than him.”

Joshua knocked out Ngannou in the second round of their heavyweight bout in March 2024. The former UFC champion was dropped multiple times before the referee stopped the fight.

That result halted the momentum Ngannou built during his boxing debut against Tyson Fury, where the Cameroonian scored a knockdown and pushed the WBC heavyweight champion through ten rounds.

Paul previously shared the ring with Joshua during a widely circulated sparring session. Video from that session showed Joshua landing a right hand that put Paul on the canvas before he rose to his feet moments later.

Ngannou has recently returned his attention to mixed martial arts while leaving open the possibility of future boxing fights. Paul acknowledged that a bout between them under MMA rules would present a difficult challenge.

“He has the height advantage, the weight advantage,” Paul said. “It would be very tough. But I would be down to give it a run for his money.”

For now, the matchup remains hypothetical. Paul, however, believes their separate encounters with Joshua already offer a comparison.