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.
TYSON FURY BLASTS ANTHONY JOSHUA AFTER DANIEL DUBOIS STOPS FABIO WARDLEY IN MANCHESTER
Tyson Fury has labelled Anthony Joshua "chinny" after Daniel Dubois secured the WBO heavyweight title against a resilient Fabio Wardley.
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Tyson Fury wasted no time after Daniel Dubois stopped Fabio Wardley this past weekend, using the moment to take a shot at Anthony Joshua.
Dubois picked up his second heavyweight title Saturday night in Manchester, grabbing the WBO belt from Wardley in a wild, bloodied battle that’s already being called a fight of the year candidate.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Dubois, though. He hit the canvas twice in the first three rounds but bounced back hard, battering Wardley late and leaving his face a mess as the final bell sounded.
Wardley never actually went down during the fight, despite looking wobbly near the end. Credit to him for sheer toughness, but Dubois still beat him decisively. This was Dubois’ first victory since his massive upset over Anthony Joshua earlier in 2024, when he floored AJ four times in one night.
On Sunday, Fury chimed in about Dubois’ latest win. With his own fight against Joshua rumoured for later this year on Netflix, Fury saw an opening to stir the pot.
“Just been thinking about Dubois’ crazy fight last night,” Fury said. Dubois fought [Jarrell] Miller, stopped him, but never put him down. He fought. [Filip] Hrgovic stopped him but never put him down. Fought Wardley last night and stopped him, but didn’t put him down. He hit Usyk with bombs but didn’t drop him. But against Anthony Joshua? Drops him five times.”
Fury added, “I’m not saying Joshua’s got no chin, but facts are facts. Take it however you want. Nobody else went down, not Miller, not Hrgovic, not Usyk, not Wardley. But Joshua hits the deck five times? Chinny, get up, slink!”
Fury is coming off a comeback win over Arslanbek Makhmudov and has already signed on to fight Joshua this year. Joshua will warm up first against Albanian heavyweight Kristian Pregna in Saudi Arabia on July 25 before facing Fury.
Promoter Frank Warren says Fury vs. AJ will probably land in October, though Fury might want another tune-up, which could push things back a bit.
As for Dubois, he’s got options. There’s talk of a rematch with Wardley, a chance to settle the score with Usyk in a trilogy, or a domestic showdown with Moses Itauma. Dubois’ dad, Stan, told talkSPORT he’d rather see his son fight another British heavyweight next, not Usyk.
HOW DANIEL DUBOIS SURVIVED TWO KNOCKDOWNS TO STOP A BLOODY FABIO WARDLEY
"I had to dig deep." Read Daniel Dubois' full reaction to his stunning comeback victory against Fabio Wardley in Manchester.
The punch that changed everything wasn't thrown by either of the fighters.
Fabio Wardley came out blazing in his title defence, dropping Daniel Dubois just 10 seconds in. He did it again in the third round, making it look like his big night. But then, something strange happened. As Dubois got up after the fourth round, his trainer, Don Charles, slapped him hard on both cheeks.
That’s when Dubois woke up. “I had to make him realise what he needed to do,” Charles said afterwards. It’s not exactly the kind of thing you see at team-building seminars, but it worked. Dubois turned on, and suddenly Wardley’s reign started to unravel.
Wardley had picked Dubois for the first fight since collecting the WBO belt that Oleksandr Usyk dropped. Honestly, it looked like a smart pick: he dropped Dubois twice and set the tone. But after that slap, Dubois started seeing Wardley’s moves coming; those wild lunges became easier to dodge.
He landed his stiff jab and followed up with savage right hands. Wardley’s jaw somehow took the hits, but his nose was pouring blood, and his right eye was almost swollen shut. He kept pushing forward, showing crazy heart, while Dubois just kept piling on. The fight turned into a brutal spectacle, the kind you can’t look away from.
Wardley got checked twice by doctors but kept fighting. Honestly, it could've stopped before the second-to-last round, when referee Howard Foster finally stepped in. Dubois got his second world title; Wardley, battered and worn, just managed a thumbs up to his mum.
Dubois summed it up later: “I had to dig really deep. When you’re a warrior, you go to dark places. I was nervous at first, all over the place, and had to fight my own battles. That slap woke me up. My dad and everyone were in my corner; I couldn’t let them down.
“Fabio came to fight; he was tough. We were exhausted; it was a real war. I had to use all my skills to win. Great fight, great battle, and I’m No. 1 again.” Sure, Usyk might argue about that, but Dubois proved something; he got up off the canvas and won.
People have called Dubois a quitter since the Joe Joyce fight six years ago. Wardley himself thought Dubois would fold again in Manchester, and for three rounds it looked like he was right until reality snapped Dubois awake.
