"Nice! Rory McIlroy called it" - Fans react to PGA Tour icon's Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua fight prediction

Fans on social media have reacted to Rory McIlroy’s prediction about the Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua fight. The Northern Irish golfer traveled 7,000 km to attend the fight in Miami on Friday, soon after winning the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

The PGA Tour pro was asked about the prediction ahead of the fight, and he chose an early Joshua KO. NUCLR Golf shared a video of the golfer talking about the fight on its X (formerly Twitter) account with a caption:

"Rory McIlroy is taking in the #JakeJoshua fight tonight and predicts an early AJ KO"

Fans jumped into the comments section to talk about McIlroy’s prediction.

"Nice! Rory called it," a fan said. "Rory watches boxing …..," another fan added. "Not if it’s rigged to go at least 5," another fan added.

Here are more fan reactions:

"Rory!!!" a fan added. "AJ ends it in 2, no drama," a fan added. "Watch Jake get an early KO," another fan said.

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Rory McIlroy reflects on his performance after winning the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award

Rory McIlroy is enjoying downtime after his impressive time playing on the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour. For his impressive time in the 2025 season, he was awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, and while receiving it, he talked about his game.

He reflected on his 2025 season and talked about the Masters 2025, and then also his Ryder Cup outing.

"2025 has been the year that I made my dreams come true," he said (via ESPN). "From Augusta to the Ryder Cup and everything else in between, it really has been the year that dreams are made of. "I've a lot of people to thank. Firstly, the public, thank you for voting me as your Sports Personality of the Year, but my family, my mum and dad, they sacrificed so much for me and I obviously wouldn't be here without them," he added.

McIlroy also opened up about his wife, Erica Stoll, and their daughter, Poppy. He added:

"My wife, Erica, my daughter, Poppy, they're what holds me together, my rock. They couldn't be here tonight, they're back in America, but I can't wait to get back to see them tomorrow and celebrate this with them as well. So thank you for all your support, everything that you've done for me over the years."

Rory McIlroy received the highest voting to win the award, among the nominations, which also included F1 world champion Lando Norris, darts world champion Luke Littler, England footballers Chloe Kelly and Hannah Hampton, and Rugby World Cup winner Ellie Kildunne.

He is now the first golfer to receive the award since 1989. Back then, Sir Nick Faldo earned it. Moreover, he is also the first male winner after Sir Lewis Hamilton won it in 2020.

Rory McIlroy had won the Players Championship, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and the Masters on the PGA Tour in 2025 and the Amegn Irish Open on the DP World Tour.

Edited by Ankita Yadav