Deontay Wilder has sensationally claimed that Jake Paul’s blockbuster showdown with Anthony Joshua, set to take place in Miami next week, is ‘scripted’ and not the genuine sporting contest boxing fans are being sold.
Wilder, speaking to Daily Mail Sport ahead of what is expected to be one of the biggest crossover events in boxing history, didn’t hold back when analysing Paul’s improbable leap from fighting retired UFC stars and exhibition opponents to sharing a ring with Joshua – a two-time unified heavyweight king and Olympic gold medallist.
Sitting back and shaking his head, Wilder – known for being one of the most devastating punchers of the modern era – admitted he simply didn’t buy what he was seeing.
‘I think the fight is scripted,’ he said at an IBA event in Dubai. ‘I think his [Paul’s] fights in general have been scripted before. That’s just my strong opinion. It could be what it is and what we see is what we get. But I really think it’s scripted, you know.’
Wilder pointed out that Paul has spent the past few years climbing the ladder in a uniquely curated way – beating names that looked good on posters, but who were never considered genuine threats. That, he said, is why the sudden jump to someone of Joshua’s size, pedigree and recent activity raises so many eyebrows.
‘And even more I’m thinking it with this fight now,’ he continued, leaning forward. ‘Because now you are really dealing with somebody that’s active, that was a former champion still going, you know. I mean, he’s a real boxer. It has to be scripted.’
Most Valuable Promotions did not respond to Daily Mail Sport’s request for comment.
The contrast, Wilder explained, is stark. When Paul fought Mike Tyson earlier this year, it was seen as spectacle. Tyson was a legend, but 30 years removed from the version of himself that terrorised the heavyweight division. Joshua, by comparison, is fresh off high-level training camps and still campaigning at the top level.
‘Now, this ain’t nothing like before when we had the Tyson fight, of course,’ Wilder said. ‘When you looked at that fight, you just thought of it as a fun one. You had a legend of the sport in there and was taking on a YouTuber, it was a good one. A fun fight. This is different.’.
Wilder also zeroed in on something purists have been alarmed about since the fight was announced – the massive weight and power disparity. Joshua routinely weighs in around 250lbs, chiselled and explosive. Paul sits around 215lbs.
For Wilder, the only person with experience bridging that kind of gap is him.
‘I only know one person that would do what Jake is doing, and that’s it,’ he said, pointing to himself. ‘And I’m talking about the weight difference. He is around 215 and Joshua is around 250.
‘That is a big difference in weight, especially when you add in Joshua’s experience too. I don’t know anyone else that has taken on that sort of weight difference other than me.’
Wilder reminded us that throughout his career, he has routinely fought men 20 to 50lbs heavier – but Paul, he warned, has never been in anything like this. ‘I fight guys 20, 30, 40, 50 pounds heavier than me, you know? But I am able to do that. I can’t say the same for Jake Paul.’
Despite believing the fight may be orchestrated, Wilder stressed that boxing remains a brutal business – even under the tightest script. He spoke gravely about the reality fighters face every time they lace up gloves, a reality he feels outsiders often don’t understand.
‘It’s dangerous no matter what,’ he began, voice lowering. ‘It’s dangerous, no matter when you step your legs over those ropes, or you put your back under the ropes and go in there… it’s dangerous. Then you factor in the mismatch of this and it become even more dangerous. People have been seriously hurt in this sport before.’
The former WBC champion revealed that he regularly undergoes CAT scans, MRIs and neurological testing – often far more than required – because he has witnessed too many fighters hide injuries or assume their adrenaline means they’re unharmed.
The one thing for sure, my doctors have always told me… the head is not meant to be hit,’ he explained. ‘I always get CAT scans and makes to the brain and stuff right, and making my body right.’
Wilder urged all fighters, especially those coming from outside the traditional boxing world, to treat unseen injuries seriously.
‘Your outside body may feel good… especially after a fight, the adrenaline rush is still on. You don’t feel nothing right now,’ he warned. ‘But after this over with maybe a week, a month or less, you probably are developing something that can end your career. You just can’t see it.’
