Jake Paul said he will ‘kill David’ then ‘slaughter Goliath’ as he confirmed his fight with Gervonta Davis.
It was revealed on Wednesday that Paul will meet Davis live on Netflix on November 14 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia in a stunning showdown between the two American boxing stars.
Paul was previously in advanced negotiations to meet Joshua in the squared circle, telling talkSPORT in August that the fight ‘was going to happen’ while vowing to create one of the biggest upsets in boxing’s history through a victory over the Brit.
However, when Ring Magazine reported that Paul would instead meet Davis in his first fight since defeating Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in June, boxing fans believed a potential ‘AJ’ fight had been put to bed.
Paul has now added fuel to the fire, as he seemingly suggested that a bout with Joshua is well and truly still on in his announcement of the Davis fight.
“Gervonta has been disrespecting my name for too long,” Paul wrote on X.
“His nickname might be Tank, but I’m an FPV drone, and I’m about to disable tiny boy.
“Yes, he’s one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world, but my motto is anyone, anytime, anyplace, against all odds. And I like my odds.
“First, I am going to kill David, then I will go on to slaughter Goliath.”
Reports suggested that a bout between Paul and AJ originally fell through due to issues over the network, with the latter exclusively signed to DAZN.
However, further updates on Wednesday have revealed that both camps still appear to be in talks for a fight in 2026.
“I think it’s just a matter of hitting ‘go,'” Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian told ESPN about the ongoing talks for a fight between Paul and Joshua next year.
“Jake is looking at it like he wants to show the world that he’s going to fight David, and then he plans to take on Goliath.
The last part of Paul’s statement suggests that he would be ready to lock horns with Joshua after he contests a bout with Davis.
talkSPORT boxing pundit Spencer Oliver, however, believes a fight with Joshua is simply a ‘suicide mission’ for the 28-year-old American.
“You look at that fight and go, ‘Who’s going to sanction that?’ God forbid something happens to Jake,” Oliver explained via talkSPORT Drive on Wednesday.
“What [Paul’s] doing for the sport is brilliant in his own right – he’s bringing new fans into the sport. He’s doing excellent for women’s boxing as well. You can’t take that away from the kid.
“He’s been working hard as well, and he’s improving, but going in against Anthony Joshua, a former two-time world heavyweight champion and still an active fighter, that’s a suicide mission for me.
“Anthony Joshua, when you look at Francis Ngannou and look at what AJ has done to Francis Ngannou, who would win out of Jake Paul and Francis Ngannou? I would say Francis.”
Joshua knocked out ex-UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou in their March 2024 meeting, but hasn’t been spotted in the ring since suffering a brutal KO to Daniel Dubois in September.
Oliver also believes that WBA lightweight champion ‘Tank’ will prove too much for Paul in the ring.
“I think Gervonta Davis beats him – he’s one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in the world at lightweight,” Oliver explained.
“But it’s a bit of a weird one, isn’t it? You’ve got a guy of 5’5″, boxing a guy of six-foot plus at cruiserweight – it’s just all a little bit odd.
“If they’re going to do an exhibition, perhaps Jake should have picked someone more his size.
“His last fight against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was at cruiserweight; Chavez Jr. was a former world champion at middleweight himself, and that sort of made sense.
“It was a good win for Jake Paul. He’d gone out there, beat an ex-world champion, got a little bit of credibility, and you go, ‘Right, now you’re heading in the right direction…’
“That was a move in the right direction, but Gervonta Davis is just a little bit of a freak show for me.
Oliver then made his prediction for the November bout between Paul and Davis.
“Davis is an active fighter, like I say, still a pound-for-pound star, very heavy-handed as well,” he concluded.
“He should have the movement – forget the size – to be able to slip inside and take Jake Paul out. That’s the reality of it.”
