Perhaps, the most enduring aspect of Jake Paul's boxing career will be the interview a 58-year-old Mike Tyson gave as part of the promotion for their November 2024 shuffle through eight two-minute rounds.
Boxing loves legacy talk. Along with fantasy matchups, it's one of those things where there's no provable answer. It's all in the eye of the beholder, the fanboy and the hater.
As such, 13-year-old interviewer Jazlyn Guerra assumed she was on safe ground when she asked Iron Mike about the legacy he'd like to "leave behind when it's all said and done".
“I don’t believe in legacy. It’s just another word for ego," Tyson replied, beginning one of the great examples of a man failing to read the room. "I’m just passing through. I’m gonna die, and it’s gonna be over. Who cares about legacy after that?” He said. “We’re nothing. We’re just dead. We’re just dust. We’re absolutely nothing. Our legacy is nothing. Who the f**** cares about me when I’m gone?”
Anthony Joshua is a 36-year-old, two-time unified heavyweight champion who is 13-and-a-half-years removed from his Olympic gold medal success at the London 2012 games. He is very much in the legacy phase of his career. He'll probably hope no one cares about the 16-and-a-half predominantly torturous minutes he spent in the ring with Paul in Miami on Friday night.
Amid all the pre-fight razzmatazz, it was easy to forget this was Joshua's first fight in 15 months after being separated from his senses by Daniel Dubois at Wembley last year. A distracted solitary ringwalk offered a reminder. Joshua did not look fired up for this obvious mismatch; he seemed pensive. When he took early instructions from Iegor Golub — his fifth head trainer in as many years — he appeared distracted.
MORE: Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua full card results
"It wasn't the best performance, it wasn't the best," Joshua said afterwards, having endured four rounds of track from Paul on the back foot before eventually bringing his power to bear. The last of four scored knockdowns belatedly provided the showreel finish.
There are plenty of examples of fighters heading into the ring focused primarily on survival and making their opponents look awful in doing so. Online observers were quick to suggest the fix was in and AJ had pulled his punches, carrying Jake into the second half of the fight. However, taking this at face value, seeing a fighter of Joshua's pedigree failing to cut off the ring and frequently swinging at fresh air during the first half of the scheduled eight-rounds was tough to watch.
The moment Anthony Joshua knocked Jake Paul out! #JakeJoshua pic.twitter.com/TiP0ovbpzf
— Netflix (@netflix) December 20, 2025
In truth, much of Joshua's career since his shocking June 2019 defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr. Has been tough. He arrived at Madison Square Garden as a 22-0 wrecking machine with 21 KOs. The Ruiz loss — Joshua's only professional excursion into the United States ahead of the Miami cash grab with Paul — began a run that now stands at seven wins and four defeats in six-and-a-half years. Two of those victories are now against people who aren't really boxers, after AJ wiped out MMA star Francis Ngannou in March last year.
This period covers more than half of Joshua's professional career. After the incredible foundation he set himself pre-Ruiz, heading into the legacy-building phase, it's hard not to feel as frustrated as Joshua has frequently appeared. He has often been a man between styles and trainers, occasionally fearsome and ferocious but too often gun shy and vulnerable.
Will Anthony Joshua fight Tyson Fury in 2026?
Joshua remains an active player in a heavyweight division approaching a period of transition and a huge draw. After the crushing right hand that left Paul with a broken jaw, Joshua found purpose and clarity in his post-fight interview.
"You're looking at a fighter who's had a 15-month lay-off. We shook off the cobwebs and I can't wait to roll into 2026," he said.
"If Tyson Fury's as serious as he thinks he is and wants to put down his Twitter fingers and put on some gloves… come and fight one of the realest fighters out there that will take on any challenge. Step in the ring with me next if you're a real guy.
"All his talking… AJ this, AJ that. Let's see you in the ring and talk with your fists."
The oft-retired Fury, himself a former two-time heavyweight king, piped up with his views on fellow Brit Joshua during fight week. As usual, they weren't complimentary.
It would be a stain on the legacy of both men if they never met. If it happens in 2026, the fight will be past its sell-by date, but like Tyson's overdue defeat to Lennox Lewis in 2002, it still needs to happen.
The plans outlined by Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn are for his fighter to have a more legitimate heavyweight workout in February or March before coaxing Fury out of his latest hiatus for a September meeting.
Joshua's pointed demand to face Fury "next" is a better plan. AJ's performances over the past half-decade mean there are no guarantees he comes through a fight against a top 15 heavyweight in the spring. If he boxes anyone of a lower level, then it fails to serve a purpose as helpful preparation for Fury.
Just get the fight made and get in the ring. After all, Joshua and Fury are just passing through and soon it's going to be over.