Jake Paul Says He's 'Out of His F--king Mind,' Eyes Historic Upset vs. Anthony Joshua

Jake Paul said it's "insane" that he's spending his first official heavyweight bout taking on two-time unified world champion Anthony Joshua.

"This is insane," Paul told Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix ahead of Friday's fight. "I am a madman. I am out of my f---ing mind." 

Paul continued, per Mannix: "I see the world where I outbox him. And if the big shot comes, then it comes. But I believe I can actually pick him apart and make him miss and make him uncomfortable and put the pressure on him.

"And I think once he starts losing rounds early on, he's going to be like, Whoa, I was supposed to knock this guy. Whoa, whoa. And the cookie will start to crumble."

Joshua and Paul are set to face off Friday at 8 p.m. ET in Miami. The event will be streamed on Netflix.

Paul meanwhile told ESPN's Andreas Hale he feels he will "end up knocking him out in the fourth or fifth round."

Joshua weighed in at 234.4 pounds on Thursday, more than 26 pounds heavier than Paul's official weight of 216.6 pounds.

Paul also measured in five inches shorter with a reach of six fewer inches.

Paul was originally scheduled to face Gervonta Davis in a Nov. 14 exhibition boxing match that was canceled 11 days before the event.

Davis most recently weighed in at less than 134 pounds before retaining his WBA lightweight title in March. He also measured in at six inches shorter than Paul.

Netflix announced on Nov. 17 that Paul would be taking on Joshua, putting the social media star-turned-boxer in line to be on the opposite side of the weight mismatch instead.

Paul (12-1, 7 KOs), who most recently defeated Julio Cesar Chávez Jr. by unanimous decision in June, is riding a streak of six straight wins dating back to a February 2023 loss to Tommy Fury.

Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) was most recently knocked out by Daniel Dubois in his last fight in September 2024. He took more than a year away from the ring while recovering from elbow surgery earlier this year.

The 2012 Olympic super heavyweight champion recently told CBS Sports' Shakiel Mahjouri he would consider a loss to Paul, or even "a competitive eight-round fight," to be a "failure."

Joshua will now look to avoid one of the most shocking upsets in boxing history when his bout with Paul takes center stage Friday night at the Kaseya Center.