Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua had an intense final face-off ahead of their Netflix superfight on Friday night.
Paul and Joshua square off inside an eight-round heavyweight encounter at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida - with the bout being shown live all around the world as part of a Netflix subscription.
The build-up to the fight has largely been respectful, despite Joshua making it clear that he means business and is looking to take Paul out of the equation when the bell rings.
In pre-fight media obligations, there has been little animosity between the pair - to the point that at one face-off Paul played comedian and attempted to tickle two-time heavyweight champion Joshua on his pectorals.
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On Thursday night, the official weigh-in took place at the Fillmore Miami Beach - with Joshua coming in at 243.4lbs and successfully making the rare 245lbs weight threshold that was stipulated in the terms of the contract.
It is the lightest he has weighed in for a fight in nearly four years since he tipped the scales at 240lbs for his first bout with Oleksandr Usyk.
Paul, typically a cruiserweight, came in at 27lbs lighter at 216.4lbs ahead of the biggest test of his professional career.
And with the hours to go before business picks up, tensions between the two heightened and were captured in close-up footage of the on-stage face-off.
Paul raised his fist to Joshua, who didn't react well - pushing it away and replying, "Don't touch my face" before repeating the same line two more times.
Paul then said, "What are you gonna do about it? You're touching my face bro. Come on. Let's get this s*** on buddy. Let's go. Let's go."
After a period of silence as the two stared down one another, Paul added: "I see fear. I can smell it".
Joshua did not respond and the two then posed to the crowd, with the former Olympic champion performing a throat-slitting gesture and later stating that he would "just outclass this kid" as he is a "serious fighter".
Paul, on the other hands, claims that all the pressure is on Joshua and that the situation favours him.
"I smell fear. I see something in his eyes, I truly do," Paul added.
"The pressure is on him. I'm fighting free. I've already won. This is a lose-lose situation for him. I've got him right where I want him."
How to watch Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua if you don’t have Netflix
If you don’t already have Netflix, there is a workaround to essentially get it for ‘free’ as part of a bargain bundle.
Sky is currently offering its ‘Stream on Screen’ package - including Netflix, discovery+ and much more - for just £15/ month. It’s Sky’s lowest-ever price and will allow you to watch the big fight live along with Sky Atlantic, Sky Stream and Sky Essential TV.
Browse deals here.
Topics: Jake Paul, Anthony Joshua
Josh Lawless