BUSINESS OR SPORT: WHY DOES CONOR BENN DEFEND JAKE PAUL VS ANTHONY JOSHUA
Conor Benn labels the Joshua-Paul fight "method to the madness." Is the $184M purse enough to justify this heavyweight mismatch?
Conor Benn isn't one to sugarcoat things. He sees the possible Anthony Joshua versus Jake Paul fight for what it is: boxing in today's world—risky, commercial, and unapologetic.
Boxing is always dangerous, but you know that going in, he told Daily Mail Sport at the IBA 2025 Boxing World Championships in Dubai. If it makes money, it makes sense. That's just how it is. There's no anger or sarcasm in his voice, just a straightforward take on a sport that's changed a lot. It's crazy, really. It just shows where boxing is right now.
Benn quickly gets to a point that many fighters avoid: No matter what you think about Jake Paul, his chance to fight Joshua isn't just luck or a joke that went too far. It's because he's promoted himself really well.
"You have to give it to Jake Paul," Benn said. How did he get to the point where he could fight AJ, a former heavyweight champ who's a star in boxing? How did he do that? He went from making YouTube videos to fighting older UFC fighters, and now he's here.
Benn shook his head, part impressed, part surprised. He gets marketing. He knows fights are a business. He knows how to sell a fight and get people interested. It's all because of how well he promotes himself.
Conor Benn stated that he sees no problems with Anthony Joshua fighting Jake Paul.
If anything, Benn is in awe of Paul for landing a fight with Joshua.
He's not sympathetic toward those who are bitter about the YouTuber-turned-boxer.
"I think a lot of boxers should learn from Jake Paul," he said. Don't be jealous or angry or hate him. He just understands how the game works.
Benn believes that entertainment is still a key, and many fighters forget that. If you ask me what I'd rather watch, I'd pick Jake Paul over some of these so-called top fighters, he said. You can be a good fighter, but if you don't try to be exciting, even a little, you don't belong in the entertainment business. You'll never fill a stadium. Just look at Devin Haney.
Benn uses the same clear thinking to see what this fight means for Anthony Joshua. He doesn't think Joshua's reputation will be hurt by fighting Paul.
AJ can do whatever he wants, Benn said. He's sold out stadiums many times. He's done a lot for British boxing. If I were him, I wouldn't care. I'd be making lots of money, so my family would be set for life. That's his legacy.
He laughs at the idea that online criticism matters. Do you think the people leaving nasty comments on Twitter or Instagram will matter in 10 years? When he's on his yacht, flying his helicopter in Monaco, relaxing, and training when he wants? He's not going to care what some random person thinks.
Benn thinks it's obvious that people are being hypocritical. If you offered any of those people £50 million to fight Jake Paul, they'd take it in a second, he said. I would. I'd take it for 10; I'd take it for five. So who cares? Boxing is going in a crazy direction. If you can get £50 million for an easier fight, why not? Less damage and more money is always the goal.
Jake Paul claims he sees 'weakness' in Anthony Joshua.
Benn is equally realistic about safety concerns and calls for the commission to step in. "You know the risks," Benn said. He knows what he's getting into.
He points out that boxing has never been completely safe or fair. Some amateurs with good backgrounds turn pro and fight world champions in their third or fourth fight. Jake Paul has gotten a lot better, in my opinion.
Benn isn't saying they're on the same level, but he gets Paul's thinking. Has he fought anyone as good as AJ? No, not even close. But maybe he thinks he just needs one lucky punch. Maybe he thinks he's faster, younger, and fresher. Fighters can convince themselves of things that aren't really true, but if they believe it, that's what matters.
He also doesn't think the fight would be rigged. People saying it's fixed are wrong, Benn said firmly. AJ doesn't seem like that kind of person. It would ruin his reputation. He's not going to do that.
When asked about Joshua working with members of Oleksandr Usyk's training team, Benn isn't impressed. "I don't really get it," he said. I don't see any similarities between AJ and Usyk, so I don't know how that would work.
Benn prefers to stick with people he trusts, not constantly change things. "I'm a big believer in staying with my coach," Benn said. Tony knows me as a fighter. He's known me since I was a kid. I value relationships. A loss doesn't automatically mean it was the trainer's fault. Sometimes things just don't go your way.
GERVONTA DAVIS ARRESTED IN MIAMI ON BATTERY, KIDNAPPING, AND FALSE IMPRISONMENT CHARGES
Gervonta Davis is in custody after a two-week manhunt. Facing kidnapping charges, the star has been stripped of his WBA title.
Gervonta Davis, who’s a three-division world champ and one of boxing’s biggest names, landed in jail Wednesday in Miami—almost two weeks after police put out a warrant for his arrest. They’re accusing him of battery, false imprisonment, and attempted kidnapping tied to an alleged domestic violence incident from last fall.
Police in Miami Gardens said they tracked Davis for several days across three counties, working with the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force. When they caught up with him in Miami’s Design District, he didn’t put up a fight. They booked him into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Centre late Wednesday.
Cops say all this goes back to something that happened on October 27 at a strip club in Miami Gardens. The woman at the centre of the case used to date Davis and was working there as a VIP cocktail server that night. Police claim Davis confronted her inside, forced her into a back room, assaulted her, then kept her restrained before taking her outside.
In the report, police say Davis grabbed her by the hair and throat, threatened her, and led her out to the parking lot, where he finally let her go. She found coworkers, got help, and called the police. Officers say she had visible bruises on her arm.
She told investigators she met Davis back in 2022. They dated for a few months in 2025, but she broke things off about a month before the incident and had stopped talking to him.
Besides going to the police, she also filed a civil lawsuit against Davis for battery, false imprisonment, and kidnapping. Her attorney said the police investigation lines up with what she claimed in her suit.
“The investigation led to a judge signing off on the arrest warrant,” her attorney said back in January. “That matches the allegations in the lawsuit.”
Court records show her lawyers tried over and over to serve Davis with the lawsuit, but couldn’t find him for weeks.
At a press conference on January 14, Miami Gardens police called it a domestic violence case and said they were working with federal agents to track Davis down. When asked for more details Wednesday night, police said they couldn’t share anything else because the case is still active.
Last fall, Davis was in Miami training for a big fight with influencer Jake Paul, set for November at Kaseya Centre. Once the lawsuit hit the news, Davis was taken off the card, and Anthony Joshua stepped in. Davis last fought in March, when he held onto his WBA lightweight title after a controversial draw with Lamont Roach Jr in Brooklyn.
But over the weekend, WBA president Gilberto Mendoza announced they stripped Davis of the title, pointing to the legal case and his long absence from the ring. Davis has only defended the title twice in three years—most recently against Roach, which was more than ten months ago—and he doesn’t have another fight lined up.
This isn’t Davis’s first run-in with the law. He’s had several domestic violence allegations in Florida and elsewhere, though many were later dropped. In 2023, he got three years’ probation and some house arrest for a hit-and-run in Baltimore.
Right now, it’s not clear if these new Florida charges will mess with his probation in Maryland or delay any future fights. Jail and court records didn’t say when he’ll first appear in court in Miami-Dade.
Miami Gardens police say their investigation is still going and aren’t commenting further.
OFFICIAL: TYSON FURY TO FIGHT ARSLANBEK MAKHMUDOV LIVE ON NETFLIX APRIL 11
Tyson Fury is back! The "Gypsy King" ends his retirement to face Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11 in Netflix's first live UK show.
Netflix keeps pushing deeper into the sports world, and boxing is turning out to be a real crowd-pleaser. Now, on April 11, they’re gearing up for another big night: Tyson Fury is stepping out of retirement to face Arslanbek Makhmudov. It’s not just another fight—this will be Netflix’s first-ever live event in the UK.
Fury seems pumped. “Excited to be back,” he said in a statement. “Heart’s always been and always will be in boxing. Someone go tell the king that the ace is back!” The last time he fought was back in December 2024, but you can tell he still feels right at home in the ring.
Gabe Spitzer, who handles sports at Netflix, is just as thrilled. He called Fury one of the most resilient and fascinating fighters of his generation. “His career is all about beating the odds, and there’s just something electric about watching him fight,” Spitzer said. “We can’t wait to see him back for this homecoming, and we love giving our members a front-row seat to the next chapter of the Gypsy King’s story.”
The event’s getting the royal treatment too—Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority chairman, Turki Alalshikh, is presenting, along with Sela and The Ring. Alalshikh’s name comes up a lot in combat sports these days. Saudi Arabia keeps landing some of the sport’s biggest fights, and the country even helped launch the Zuffa Boxing promotion with TKO.
“We’re happy Tyson decided to come out of retirement for what should be an exciting heavyweight clash against Makhmudov,” Alalshikh said.
Fury hasn’t fought since those back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024, but his name still draws a crowd. A comeback fight in the UK—his home turf, where he hasn’t fought since 2022—only adds to the buzz.
For Netflix, Fury vs. Makhmudov is another notch in their belt. Last year, they pulled in huge numbers with several boxing shows, especially the Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua fight in December. That one alone racked up over 33 million views around the world. Clearly, Netflix is betting big on boxing, and fans seem happy to watch.