A former WBC heavyweight champion has "heard" that the fight between Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua is off.
Paul and Joshua are scheduled to meet in Miami, Florida, on the evening of December 19, with the heavyweight bout being contested over eight three-minute rounds.
While the fight is not an exhibition, former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua has agreed to a weight limit of 245 pounds. Paul, meanwhile, could face a 30lb weight disadvantage on fight night.
A five-inch height difference, as well as the sheer physical mismatch, has led to questions around whether the fight will go ahead.
Advert
Earlier this week, Paul fuelled rumours of a potential postponement after he suffered an injury while sparring British heavyweight contender and former cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie.
Asked about his black eye, Paul said: "I’m sparring a bunch of world champion heavyweights, I think Lawrence Okolie did that to me, he’s like 6ft 6in, 270lbs."
A few days after footage emerged of Paul's bruised eye and speculation regarding a potential postponement is once again rife after former champion Bermane Stiverne made some interesting claims.
Stiverne, who held the WBC heavyweight title between May 2014 and January 2015, says he has "heard" that the bout between Paul and Joshua has been cancelled following an injury to the YouTuber-turned-boxer.
"I’ve just heard somewhere that he was injured, that it’s not happening," Stiverne told Gambleonline.ca.
"I don’t know. I just heard not long ago it was cancelled. I don’t know what’s going on. Lawrence Okolie gave him a black eye or something and from what I heard the fight is not happening after sparring sessions [with world ranked fighters]."
Stiverne, who was the first to go the distance with Deontay Wilder, added: "It might be a lie, or it might be true, but I don’t know. That’s what I was hearing and it wouldn't surprise me."
American boxer Ryan Garcia was among the first to question whether the bout will go ahead, describing it as "too much of a disadvantage."
Tony Bellew gives his take on Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua
Jake Paul believes he will deliver "the biggest upset in boxing history" later this month, but former cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew has expressed his doubts about the fight taking place.
"I still don't believe it. How can you believe it's going to happen?" he told IFL TV. "It's insane, it's madness, but no one can knock Joshua because he's just madness.
"I can't get my head round it, I just don't believe he's going to be in the ring facing Joshua with 10-ounce gloves on. When he touches him for the first time with a pair of 10-ounce gloves on, he's going to get the fright of his life."
According to a report from the Daily Mail, there will be a prize pot of £140 million, which will be split evenly between Joshua and Paul.
Bellew continued: "Of course I get why it's happening, for that kind of money you would probably fight them both at once. Fair play to them, get paid.
"Once you've won the titles you desire and your dreams are fulfilled in boxing, boxing is purely about making as much as you can as quickly as you can. And this is ticking both of them boxes off well, well done to both."
Topics: Jake Paul, Anthony Joshua, Boxing, Boxing News
Jack Kenmare